


Fitting in the Pieces

by Jekkah



Category: In Plain Sight
Genre: Angst, Children, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2017-12-28 19:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 27,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jekkah/pseuds/Jekkah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the series finale, Mary and Marshall move on from each other when Mary takes a new job and Marshall follows through with his marriage plans. Can they their way back? *Warning for strong kid presence* There will be angst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. MARY'S STORY

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: So, here it is, my next IPS story. I was going to wait until I got a few chapters written before starting to post this, but I got too excited. I figure this way you guys can tell me whether to give it up completely or keep trying. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

Mary glanced around the overly decorated reception hall. Everywhere she looked, she was assaulted with hearts, lights, and pink. It was exactly the type of wedding that she pictured the cheerleading detective would have. It was not, however, what she pictured her former-partner-now-boss-and-kinda-sorta-best-frien d-though-they-didn't-talk-outside-of-the-office-an ymore having. Mary supposed that was the point, though, that she no longer knew what type of wedding that Marshall Mann would want to have. She no longer knew much about him at all.

"Mary, we need to talk," Stan growled, startling her by seemingly coming out of nowhere. He didn't wait for Mary to respond before grabbing her arm and marching her out of the hall and into an empty room.

"Stan, what the hell?" Mary demanded when he finally released her.

Stan put his hands on his hips, the vein in his forehead visibly throbbing. "So, I just got an interesting phone call." Mary froze. "It seems that your transfer was approved. Here's the funny thing: I don't remember seeing a transfer request coming across my desk. So, you tell me, Mary, what the hell?"

Mary lowered her gaze to his collar. "I called in a few favors. Got around the chain of command."

"Why?"

"Why?" Mary repeated, stalling for time. She wondered if she could ever fully explain to her former boss and secret mentor the torment that she felt every time she drove around Albuquerque; how it felt that the entire city was closing in her; how she couldn't escape the ghosts of her past that haunted her at every turn. "There have been a lot of changes in my life lately, Stan. Some of them you know about; some of them you don't."

Stan rubbed his jaw. "Marshall hasn't mentioned anything."

Mary's face grew into stone and her voice flat. "Marshall doesn't know. I'm a big girl. I can live my own life."

"I didn't mean to imply otherwise," he told her, slowly, knowing to cautiously wade into Mary's emotional waves. "Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"It started with my dad dying and Brandi returning," Mary explained. She didn't want to tell him, but it was as if some unseeing force was propelling her to do so. "Things seemed to be settled for a few months after all of that, but… ever since then, it's been one disaster after another."

Stan sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Mary to do the same. "Go on."

Mary rubbed her eye. "You know that Brandi came home pregnant, right?" She waited for Stan to nod before continuing. "She had a little girl, Teagan, in October. Motherhood… did not come easy to Brandi, and it only got worse after Mark moved to Atlanta in November."

"He got a job there, right?"

"Yeah. I needed to focus more attention on Norah's adjustment and I couldn't quite be there for Brandi the way that she needed." Mary took a deep breath. "I came home in the middle of December to find her in bed with Kenny."

Stan frowned. "Kenny? The guy you brought to my going away party?"

Mary nodded. "I knew he was scum. I just let myself get blinded by his charm after my father passed away. I mean, the first time he tried to pick me up, he used his kid."

"Ugh," Stan moaned.

"Yeah, well…" Mary's voice trailed off there. "Anyway, Brandi took off a few weeks later, leaving Teagan. It's been hard, Stan. Really hard. I mean, my mom's been helping, but the girls are nineteen and five months. They're really just too much for her all the time. And with these hours, you can see the problem."

"I thought Mark's mother was watching Norah?" he asked, confused.

Mary shot him a half smile. "She had to leave in September when Mark's sister found out that she was having twins." Mary paused, licking her lips. "This job, the one in Baltimore, it's protecting a judge in a courtroom. I'll hand her off to other marshals at the end of each day. I'll be home to make dinner for the girls every night and there's no weekend work. I have to make some changes for my kids."

Stan sighed, knowing she was right. He had reservations enough when it was just Norah, but throwing another one into the mix definitely complicated things. As much as it killed him to lose her from Albuquerque and from WitSec, it was the right choice for her situation. Still, one thing bothered him.

"Why didn't you discuss this with Marshall?"

"I-" Mary swallowed hard. It was the question that she had been dreading since Stan dragged her into the room. "You know that Marshall and I have redefined our friendship, right?"

Stan nodded, thinking about all the agonizing calls that he had received from Marshall last summer over the decision to put Abigail first instead of Mary as he had for the last nine years. "But you're still friends."

Mary shrugged so slightly that if Stan hadn't been watching her closely, he would have missed it. "Sure. The thing is that if I tell him about what's going on, he's going to want to fix it. You and I both know that Marshall can't just sit back. He had the wedding and Abigail. I couldn't bring him back into my problems." Mary brushed a piece of hair from her face. "I had a friend who owed me a favor and got me the posting. I figure that with Marshall out of the office the next month, it will be best to leave then. Less drama."

"Mary, he's going to be devastated," Stan countered.

"Not anymore," she whispered. Mary felt her ire grow when Stan opened his mouth to protest further. "Look, you can go in there and tell him, screwing the happiest day of his life and his honeymoon or you can let me handle this the way I want."

Stan rubbed the top of his head. She had backed him into a corner just as he should have known that she would do. There was no way he was going to screw up Marshall's day. "Fine. We'll do it your way, but I don't like it Mary. I think it's a crummy way to end a ten year friendship."

Mary sighed in relief. "Thank you. You know, Baltimore is pretty close to DC. We can have dinner." Mary's phone rang and she held up a finger. "Hello? Hi, Mom. No, it's fine. Well, did you take her temperature? Okay. I'm on my way. No, don't worry about it. I'll be home soon." Mary stood and waved good-bye as she continued to talk on the phone.

"Hey, have you seen Mary?" Marshall asked when Stan re-joined the festivities. "Abigail's about to throw the bouquet and really wants her to catch it."

"Um, yeah. Mary had to go home. Norah's not feeling well," Stan explained, his stomach dropping as he withheld the rest of the information from Marshall.

Marshall deflated slightly. "Oh. Well, I guess I'll just have to harass her when I get back. Can you believe it, Stan? An entire month of no responsibilities!"

Stan chuckled as Marshall bounced off. He hoped the younger man had a good time on his honeymoon. He was going to be blind-sided when he got back.


	2. Marshall's Story

Delia leaned against her the front of her desk, nibbling on her thumb nail. Her partner, Keith Tobias, watched her with mild interest while reviewing that morning's bulletins on the computer. This had been her morning routine since as long as he had gotten there. Delia jumped when the elevator opened and Marshall stepped out.

"Morning, boss!" Delia told him cheerfully, a basket of chocolate banana muffins in her hands. She held it out for him to take one. "How did it go last night?"

"It-" Marshall paused to swallow the bite of muffin that he had taken. "It was another rough night."

Delia's shoulders sagged. "Yeah, well, I'm sure it'll get better soon."

Marshall opened his mouth to argue, but was stopped by the ringing of his cell phone. "Hi, Stan."

"Hey, Marshall. How are things?" Stan asked.

"Okay, I suppose," he replied, waving to Delia to indicate that he was going to take the call in the office.

Stan hesitated before continuing. "Is Owen sleeping any better?"

Marshall sighed, running his hand over his weary face. "He's a three-year-old kid that lost both his parents and his home not even six months ago. He's having a hard time."

"Marshall." Stan stopped to gather his thoughts. Marshall's younger brother and his wife died in a car accident in January, leaving their three-year-old to Marshall. Marshall had told him that before the accident, Owen was a bright, bubbly child, but since then had become very quiet, rarely talking to anyone unless he was in the midst of a fit. Owen almost never slept longer than two hours at a time as he was prone to violent nightmares. It was taking a toll on both Marshall and his marriage.

Stan switched topics. "How's Abigail?"

"She, uh," Marshall cleared his throat, "she filed for divorce last month."

Stan cringed. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Marshall shrugged and turned his chair to face the wall, not wanting to risk anyone in the office seeing the pain on his face. "She's still young. She wants a family; a family that doesn't include a 'damaged' nephew."

"Owen is not damaged!" Stan said, emphatically. "He's just had a rough time."

"I know that, Stan," Marshall agreed, mildly amused at Stan's defense of his nephew. "Those were her words, not mine, and she was angry when she said it. I don't think she meant it. In any case, I told her that I wasn't ready to have any more children any time soon and that was that, sixteen months of marriage down the drain."

"If you need to take some time-"

Marshall huffed. "I can do my job."

Stan backtracked quickly. "I'm not saying that you can't. I'm just saying that you – and Owen – have been through a lot lately. You could take some time off to get situated with all of these adjustments, maybe head back home for a few weeks."

"I'm not exactly on speaking terms with my parents right now," Marshall growled. "My mother is having some issues with the fact that Charlie and Jennifer left Owen with me instead of her. She had a few choice things to say about how I'm raising him. My father, of course, sided with her. It's a big mess right now."

"Well-"

Marshall interrupted him again. "I'm fine, Stan. I don't need any time off. I'll let you know if I do." Marshall took a calming pause. "Now, I'm sure you didn't call out of the blue just to find out about my personal life. What can I do for you?"

Dreading the orders that he had to give, Stan asked, "Do you remember a witness, Ellen Davis, from a few years back?"

"Ellen Davis," Marshall repeated, searching his memory bank. "Yes. She's the one that discovered her boss embezzling funds, right? We spent the better part of a week trying to calculate the odds of a witness in the program innocently stumbling upon another crime that would have put her into the program."

"That's her," Stan confirmed. "The trial is finally being held so she's got to come back to Albuquerque."

Marshall turned around and shuffled some papers on the desk. "Just send the information and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. I'm assuming that her current marshals will be handling everything and we'll just be back-up."

"Not... exactly."

"What does that mean?" Marshall asked, instantly on alert.

Stan drummed his hands on his desk. He was dragging out the inevitable. "Now, keep in mind that this will only be for a few days; a week, tops. It seems that Ellen doesn't have the best relationship with her current marshals. She is insistent that she won't testify unless you and Mary are the ones protecting her."

Marshall nearly dropped his phone at the mention of his former partner and best friend's name. He hadn't heard from Mary in one year, four months, and seventeen days, not that he was keeping count. Not a single peep since she slinked off into the night while he was on his honeymoon. Stan and Delia took great pains not to utter her name in his presence. Even Abigail in her more incensed moments didn't throw Mary in his face. It was as if everyone in his life knew she was completely unmentionable.

"Oh," Marshall replied when he finally found his voice.

"Look, Marshall," Stan told him, plainly, "if you don't want to do this, I'll try to make a deal for just Mary. With everything that you've been going through, I don't want to add-"

Marshall waved his hand in the air. "It's fine, Stan. I'll do my job. Just send me the details." He glanced at his bottom drawer without realizing he had done so. "How did you get Mary to agree to come back?"

Stan chuckled, nervously. "I haven't yet. I wanted to make sure that it was okay with you before I broached the subject with her."

"Well, there will be no issues on this end. Just e-mail me the information. I'll remain professional," Marshall assured him.

"I know you will."

Marshall sighed. "Just, ah, just do me a favor and don't tell Mary about anything that's been going on in my life; you know, about Abigail or Owen. I would rather just keep that private."

Stan rubbed his eyes. "Not a problem, Marshall."

"Was there anything else that you needed or..." Marshall's voice trailed off.

"That's it. I'll be in touch soon with the details," Stan confirmed. "And Marshall, if there's anything you need, even if it's just someone to vent to, don't hesitate to call me."

Marshall quickly said his good-byes and hung up the phone. His mind whirled with thoughts; thoughts of Mary, thoughts of Owen, thoughts of Abigail, and a million other things. He must have say there longer than he realized as Delia popped her head into the office with an overly bright smile.

"Everything okay, chief?" she asked, her tone as chipper as ever.

Marshall looked over at her, his eyes glazed. "I'm not sure."

Delia fully entered the office and sat down. "What do you mean?"

"Mary's coming back."

"What?" Delia's question contained an interesting mix of surprise, confusion, excitement, and anger that nearly made Marshall smile.

He settled for shrugging instead. "It's just for a few days. We have a witness coming to testify for a trial, She's demanded that Mary and I handle security or else she won't testify."

Delia leaned forward sympathetically. "Are you okay with that?"

"I'll have to be." Marshall grabbed a pen and began to work on the stack of papers in front of him, indicating that the conversation was over. He watched discreetly as Delia made her way back to her desk. As if his life wasn't complicated enough already, the fates had dealt him a striking blow. Only time would tell if it proved to be fatal.


	3. Mary's Drawn In

"I told you this would be an earlier day," Daphne Turner told her deputy as the walked from the courtroom towards the parking lot. "You'll be able to get home to your babies before dinner."

"I'm always home before dinner, Judge," Mary shot back. "It's one of the perks of this job; no action and home by dinner."

Daphne laughed. "Mary, you've been working for me for how long now?"

Mary eyes slid briefly down. "About fifteen months."

"Don't you think it's time to start calling me Daphne?"

"Not a chance, Judge," Mary replied, causing Daphne to titter.

Daphne turned when another person walked up to them. "Oh, good, Todd, you're here. Are we ready to go?"

Todd, a tall, burly looking deputy, nodded once. "The car is secure. We're waiting on you, Daphne."

"You see, Mary, not everyone has a hard time calling me by my first name," Daphne said, handing her briefcase over to Todd.

"Yeah, well, I've always said those DC boys weren't worth much," Mary teased, silently chuckling to herself when she saw Todd bristle. "It's why I chose a post in Baltimore." She looked at Todd and shrugged an apology. Her days were spent watching over the judge in the courtroom only to hand her off to Todd and his partner in the evenings. They had built a rapport over the last year so Mary knew he wouldn't really be insulted by the things that came out of her mouth.

"Anything we should know about?" Todd asked, slipping into his all business tone. Mary shook her head. "Okay, then. Are you ready, Daphne?"

Daphne nodded. "Good night, Mary. See you bright and early on Monday."

Mary watched, her eyes alert for any suspicious activity, as Todd escorted Daphne out of the building. As far as marshaling jobs went, this one wasn't bad. It lacked the excitement of her previous positions, and in particular, she missed the interaction with her witnesses, but the stability of being home every night and having weekends off was something she couldn't pass up, not with having two little girls at home. Besides, other than being a bit perky, the judge wasn't bad to work for.

Turning at the sound of her name being called, Mary was surprised to see her former boss walking toward her. Mary smiled, widely. "Stan! What are you doing here?"

"Mary, it's good to see you," Stan replied, grabbing her in an uncharacteristic hug. "I was in the area and thought I would try to catch you for a visit." He shifted, nervously. "How are things? How are the kids? They must be getting bigger. How old are they now?"

"Norah's a month shy of her third birthday and Teagan has... about three until her second. They're doing good," Mary told him. "Norah has really taken to being a big sister."

Stan nodded. "Have you heard from Brandi?"

Mary frowned, becoming stiff. "Not a word." She sighed. "I'm sure you didn't come all the way down here just to check up on me. You could have done that on the phone. What's going on, Stan?"

Stan looked around before pulling her into a small, empty room. "You're being reassigned." Stan threw his hands up when she began to protest. "Temporarily! It should only be for about a week."

"For what?"

Stan ran his hand over his balding head. "I need you to escort a witness to a trial."

She huffed, putting her own hands on her hips. "I don't do that anymore, Stan. I'm no longer an inspector."

"I know, I know," Stan placated, "but this witness refuses to testify unless you're her marshal."

"Who is it?" Mary demanded.

"Ellen Davis."

Mary groaned. Ellen David was a particularly clingy witness that managed to get herself into scrape after scrape. In the short seven months that Mary was her marshal, she had had to move her to three time and find her a new job twice. Though she wished it had been under different circumstances, Mary could not say that was saddened to see Ellen go in the least.

"She's insisting that you and Marshall be the ones to protect her while she's in Albuquerque," Stan explained further. He continued to talk, ignoring her paling face. "She's threatened to not testify at all if you don't. You know how important this trial is."

"Yeah, I know," Mary replied, quietly.

Stan massaged the back of his neck. "I hate to pull you away from the kids, but it's only for a few days, a week at the tops. I-" He stumbled over his words here. "I arranged it so that you and Marshall will only be responsible for her during the day at the courtroom. Her regular marshals will watch over her at night."

Mary studied her fingernails as if she was inspecting them for dirt. "Have you talked to Marshall about this? Is he on board?"

"Yes. He says that he will do his job."

"Of course." Mary closed her eyes, briefly. She could almost hear him telling Stan that. Her heart filled with dread over the thought of returning to Albuquerque. She hadn't stepped foot back there since she left; hadn't talk to anyone from there. She hadn't even let Stan provide her any updates on anyone there. Mary wanted that part of her life to be over and done with. Still, she was never one to shuck her duty. "When do I leave?"

Breathing out an audible sigh of relief, Stan answered, "Monday morning. I'll stop over tomorrow with all of the details."

Mary shook her head. "You don't have to do that."

"I want to. Besides, it'll be nice to see Jinx and the girls. It's been a long time," Stan pressed.

"In that case, why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night? Jinx has been taking a cooking class and she'll be happy to have someone new to experiment on." Mary nearly laughed at the startled look on Stan's face. "Don't worry. As long as she stays away from Indian and Mexican, she's actually pretty good."

Stan grinned. A more positive Mary was something that he had had to get used to, but she really did seem to be making an effort to stay upbeat for the girls, which included being kinder to her mother. "I would love to."

Mary firmed up their plans before heading home. Her entire drive consisted on flashes of memories of her time spent in Albuquerque. She thought of diners and rings, of baseball games and deserts. She was nearly crippled by remembrances of Marshall. She found that she could not think of a single flaw in his character as so often happens when time goes on, but it only served to make her angry.

"Mommy's home!" Jinx exclaimed when Mary walked into the house. The smell of roast filled the air.

"Mommy!" Norah squealed. She raced towards Mary at top speed, her dark blond hair in pigtails.

Mary picked her up and covered her in kisses. "Hi, Bug. Did you have fun today?"

Norah nodded. "Gramma took us to the pool today with Mr. Bill."

"Wow, Mom," Mary whistled, "that's like twice in the last week. This must be getting serious."

"Oh, stop!" Jinx waved her off and headed toward the kitchen with a decidedly red tinge to her cheeks.

Mary put Norah down and craned her neck, looking for Teagan. The little girl stood just around the wall in the hallway, peeking out with her rich, brown eyes. She had her thumb in her mouth, a habit that neither Jinx nor Mary had been able to break her of. Mary held her arms open. "Come here, Angel."

Teagan toddled to her. Despite her dark brown hair and brown eyes, she was the spitting image of Brandi. Mary felt the familiar ache in her chest as she looked at her niece. Teagan sighed as Mary hugged her. "Mama."

"How's my girl?" Mary asked, kissing her forehead.

"Teagan wouldn't go in the big pool," Norah tattled, trailing after Mary as she made her way to the kitchen for dinner. "She cried."

Mary was quiet as Norah and Jinx blabbered on about their day during dinner. Only Teagan remained quiet, sitting in her boaster. Mary was so preoccupied with thoughts of Albuquerque that the other three were done before she even had a quarter of her plate gone.

"Okay, what's going on with you?" Jinx asked, clearing away plates. "You're a million miles away tonight."

"I know," Mary apologized. "I just... I have a little announcement. I have to go on a special assignment on Monday. It'll only be about a week, but I'll be out of town," she took a deep breath, "back to Albuquerque."

Jinx gasped. "Oh, Sweet Pea. What are you going to do?"


	4. Meeting of the Awkward Kind

Her heart was thumping.

It had been best increasingly faster from the moment she met Ellen and her marshals, Reilly and Matchar, in Detroit. Now, as she stood in the back of the elevator on the way up to the Albuquerque WitSec office, Mary thought it might explode completely out of her chest. Outwardly, she appeared cool, calm, and collected as she checked the e-mails on her phone, but inwardly, her butterflies had butterflies.

"It must be weird being back," Ellen commented over her shoulder to Mary.

"Not really," Mary replied, taking great pains to keep her tone nonchalant.

Ellen looked unconvinced. "If you say so. I just know that I would feel a little weird coming back to my old stomping ground."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you're not me and I'm fine."

Ellen opened her mouth to say more, but snapped it shut again when the elevator doors opened. Mary grabbed her shoulder to stop her from stepping forward, letting Reilly and Matchar go first. Only once they were clear did Mary let Ellen go. Mary followed behind.

"Mary!" Delia squealed, rushing past the others. She pulled Mary into a hugging, ignoring Mary when she tensed. Delia let her go, but kept a hand on her arm as if to keep her there. "How are you? How's Norah? I bet she's getting big!"

"I'm doing good. So are the girls," Mary told her, offhand.

Delia gave her a strange look. "The girls?"

Marshall chose that moment to emerge from his office, drawing attention away from Mary. His eyes locked briefly with Mary's and the entire office came to a standstill. Mary quickly glanced out the window, unable to stand Marshall's scrutiny. He turned his attention to the others, making introductions.

"Right this way," Marshall directed, leading the group into the conference room. He sat down at the head of the table and waited for the others to take their places. It did not escape his notice that Mary sat as far away from him as she could.

"We were told that you have a game plan for how to handle this," Matchar stated, folding his podgy hands in front of him.

Marshall nodded, swallowing hard. "From what the DOJ told us, Inspector Shannon and I are to be the primaries during the trial with you and the marshals from my office as back-up." Reilly and Matchar both nodded. "We have three rooms at the Marriott in town, a few blocks from the courthouse. Reilly, you are to stay in the middle room with Ellen; Matchar and Shannon on either side.

"Each morning, I will call with a new breakfast location to meet. Delia and I will meet all four of you there. After breakfast, Shannon and I will then take Ellen to the courthouse. Reilly and Matchar, I want you to follow us to the courthouse and wait until we give the all clear before returning to the hotel to rest. At the end of the day, we'll call with a new location to meet for dinner and do the exchange in reverse. The only time that there should be only one inspector with Ellen is when she is ensconced in her hotel room for the night. Any questions?"

"Sounds good, Chief," Delia commented, when no one else spoke up.

Marshall gave her a faint smile before looking at Ellen. "How are you holding up?"

Ellen shrugged. "I'll be glad when this is all over."

"Won't we all?" he muttered, racking the tension back up in the room.

"Hey, Marshall?" Keith called out, sticking his head into the conference room. "Your nanny is on the phone. She says it's important."

Marshall cringed. "Tell her I'll be there in a minute." He stood. "Now, if there's nothing else, Delia and Keith will escort you to the hotel."

Jumping up to grab Mary, Delia looped her arm with Mary's. "Mary, why don't you ride with me and Keith can ride with the others. It'll give us a chance to catch up."

"I, uh, sure," Mary agreed, feeling as though she had entered alternate universe. Marshall had a kid. That phrase just kept repeating in her head over and over. Marshall had a kid. More to it, Marshall had a kid with Abigail. Abigail and Marshall had a kid. She wasn't sure exactly why she was stuck on that. It made sense that they would have a kid now that they were married. She and Marshall may not have talked about it a whole lot, but she knew he always wanted to be a father.

"Mary?" Delia asked, softly. Mary blinked rapidly, her attention drawn back to Delia. "We need to actually step onto the elevator in order to go down.

Mary rubbed her forehead. "Right."

Much as with the ride up, Mary was closed off on the way down, standing in the back of the elevator and not engaging with anyone. Stepping outside, she once again became focused solely on Ellen's safety, not relaxing until Ellen was tucked into the car.

"So, Mare," Delia started when they pulled out of the parking lot, "did I hear you correctly back in the office? Do you have more than one daughter now?"

"Marshall has a kid?" Mary blurted out without meaning to. She thought about taking it back as it shouldn't be any of her business, but her curiosity was too strong. She swung her head to look at Delia. "Well?"

Delia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm not really supposed to talk to you about him. He didn't really want you knowing anything about his life."

That hit Mary straight in the chest. She expected Marshall to be angry that she walked out of his life, but she hadn't expected him to cut her out of his life completely. This was Marshall, who always took care of her, who always made sure that had had everything she needed. "Tell me what you need" - isn't that what he always said to her.

"Mar-"

"No," Mary interrupted, forcing herself to push away her thoughts. "I get it. It's really none of my business anyway. What was it that you asked me?"

Delia flashed her a reassuring smile. "I just wanted to know why you mentioned that 'the girls' were fine when you were in the office. Did you have another baby?"

Mary shook her head. "What? No. God, no. Going through pregnancy once was enough. No, I was referring to my niece, Teagan. She, uh, lives with me so they're the, uh, 'girls', you know?"

"Does Brandi live with you, too?"

"Um," Mary stalled, debating whether or not to tell Delia everything, especially in light of Marshall's policy of no personal information. On the other hand, she hadn't been able to talk to anyone about this since Jinx just broke into tears every time Brandi was mentioned and Mary had no other friends. Mary took a deep breath. "No. Brandi took off when Teagan was just three months old. We haven't heard from her since. You know, at first, I kept hoping that she would change her mind and come back, but..." Mary's voice trailed off. "Teagan is my daughter just as much as Norah."

Delia grinned at the conviction in Mary's voice. "What's she like?"

Mary chuckled. "She's shy and quiet. I have no idea where she gets that from. She likes to sit back and observe the room before joining in, unlike Norah who jumps right in with both feet and figures out how to get out of trouble later. Norah is my daredevil and Teagan is the one trailing after her. But, make no mistake, Norah is fiercely protective of her little sister."

"She must take after you," Delia said, kindly. She put the car into park. "I'm glad you're back, Mary, even if it's only for a few days. I think Marshall is glad, too, even if he won't say it. We – he – has missed you a lot." Delia grabbed the door handle. "You should try to talk to him."

"We'll see," Mary replied. She got out of the car. "We'll see."


	5. Courtroom Surprises

Mary was getting frustrated.

They had been there for four days already and Marshall hadn't once attempted to take to her. Well, that wasn't exactly true. When it came to Ellen and her protection, he spoke to her... in short, concise sentences. When it came to any downtime, such as their daily breakfasts and dinners, he was completely tight-lipped. And it was driving her crazy.

Pacing the hotel room, Mary ran a hand through her hair. She had prepared herself to ignore Marshall; she had not prepared herself to be ignored by Marshall. It had put her off her game, left her uneasy and slightly frightened. But Mary didn't like to feel afraid so she turned it around to anger. Unfortunately, the current set-up left her little opportunity to unleash her anger as they were either at the courthouse, a restaurant, or she was left alone in her hotel room.

A knock on the door pulled Mary away from her thoughts. She double-checked that she had her gun and badge before leaving the room. She was quiet on the way to the diner as she had been the previous three mornings. Mary sensed a change as soon as they entered the diner. Instead of Delia's smiling face greeting them, it was Keith's nervous one.

"Where's Inspector Mann?" Matchar asked.

"He, uh, had a phone call that he needed to take," Keith replied. He fiddled with his silverware. "Delia had a situation come up so I'm filling in for her."

Matchar nodded before sitting down. They placed their breakfast order with the waitress. Reilly and Keith made a half-hearted attempt to get a conversation going, but when it was clear, through Matchar's annoyance, Ellen's nervousness, and Mary's aloofness, that no one was interested, they, too fell silent.

Marshall came back to the table looking frazzled. It was easy to see that he was stressed and hadn't slept well. He ran his hand through his hair, refusing to sit down. "Something's come up and I need to change plans."

"Everything okay, boss?" Keith asked.

"Yeah," Marshall brushed off. "Keith, I need you to go with Ma-, uh, Inspector Shannon today. Things have been quiet. I don't anticipate any problems."

Mary watched as Marshall ran over the day's procedure with Keith. It was very rare that he shuck work off on someone else so whatever was going on must be something important. At least, it used to be rare. She couldn't imagine that he had changed all that much since she had last been in Albuquerque.

"Any objections?" Marshall asked, signaling the end of his conversation with Keith. Mary desperately wanted to object, just to be a thorn in his side, but she could find no reason to. If Marshall trusted Keith, then she would have to trust him; at least as far as work went. That, she was sure was one area that Marshall hadn't changed.

When no one objected, Marshall left the diner. Mary felt oddly abandoned by his absence. Her emotions were all over the place and she hated it. She wanted nothing more than to be back home in Baltimore with her girls, where life was straight-forward and she could ignore all these feelings.

As soon as they entered the courthouse, Mary was hit with a wave of apprehension. She couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, but the atmosphere just felt different. The air was heavy as if it was anticipating something, but what that something was, Mary wasn't sure.

"Hey, Kevin," Mary said to Keith in a low voice.

"Keith," he corrected.

"Whatever," she muttered, rolling her eyes. Mary swept the courtroom as they took their seats. "Does anything seem off?"

Keith followed her lead and studied the room as the defense attorney began to question Ellen. He looked at Mary with a shrug. "Nothing."

Mary sighed, settling into her seat. She kept a sharp eye on things as Ellen dutifully answered questions. She found herself annoyed that Marshall wasn't sitting next to her. He would know if what she was sensing was simple paranoia or if there was truly something going on.

Within fifteen minutes, she'd have her answer.

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"Mary! Are you okay?" Delia shouted, running up to her former partner.

Mary looked up from her seat in the back of the ambulance. "Yeah, I'm fine. So's Keith, but I think that's more dumb luck then anything else."

Delia nodded. She liked her partner, but he was a bit on the naive side. "What happened?"

"I had a bad vibe from the moment that I stepped into the courthouse. I couldn't put my finger on what it was so I chalked it up to paranoia that Marshall wasn't there." Mary cringed when she saw the slight grin grace Delia's lips. She hadn't meant to let that slip. Clearly, guarding the judge back home and spending so much time with the girls was making her soft. "Anyway, I asked Keith about it, but he didn't think anything was wrong. We were about twenty or twenty-five minutes into Ellen's testimony for the day when all hell broke loose. Two men stood up from the back and began shooting. A third man entered from the judge's chambers. I hurt my wrist clamoring over people to get to Ellen. Keith and I returned fire and took them all down, but not before they killed Griffith, the assistant prosecutor, and Griffith's wife when she tried to get to Griffith. They also injured the judge, two jury members, and the defense attorney. There were a few other injuries from people trying to escape. Albuquerque PD is taking over the case."

"Yeah, I've already talked to them." Delia frowned. "Ellen's been moved. She's shaken, but also relieved."

"I guess so. With Griffith dead, she no longer has to testified." Mary ran her hand through her hair, careful of the ace bandage that wrapped her sprained wrist. "Are they going to move her completely as a precaution?" She held up her hand when Delia hesitated to replied. "Never mind. I know you can't answer that."

Delia ran a comforting hand over Mary's upper arm. "I guess you'll be leaving us."

Mary nodded. "My flight's booked for tomorrow afternoon. I just have to write up reports for you guys and for Albuquerque PD and I'll be done."

"Okay, well, I can take you back to the office to-"

"Where is Marshall anyway?" Mary interrupted. "He's the big boss now so shouldn't he be here sorting everything out?"

Delia flinched. "He has some things going on right now and needs to be at home."

Mary put her hands on her hips as a way of red hot anger swept through him. "What in the hell could be more important than this right now? Oh, wait, don't tell me. Abigail heard I was back in town and has forbidden him to be anywhere near me."

"That's not-"

"Forget it. This is why I didn't want to come back. I don't want to get involved in all of this petty B.S. I let him go. That was supposed to be enough." With that, Mary stormed off, leaving Delia stunned. Mary stomped over Keith, rescue personnel running out of her way as she went. She bullied him into giving her the keys to his truck.

When she arrived at Marshall's house, she was surprised to find the yard littered with toys. Marshall was always meticulous about his yard. Still, Mary only pondered this for a moment before the reason for visit whooshed back into her brain. She pounded viciously on the front door with her fist.

Mary raised a finger to begin to shout at Marshall as he opened the door, only to be stopped by a blood-curtailing scream coming from inside.


	6. Tantrums and Fights

"What the hell was that?" Mary demanded.

Marshall didn't answer her, but turned and raced to his kitchen. Mary followed close behind him. She stopped in the doorway, surprised by what she saw. On the table lay spilled chocolate milk and a child, no more than four or five, had thrown himself on the floor, flailing his arms and legs as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"WNADSOSCRUFF!" the boy yelled.

"Owen!" Marshall said, sharply, trying to pick him up. "Ssh, Owen. It's okay. Tell me what's wrong."

Owen continued to throw his fit, seemingly oblivious to Marshall's attempts to sooth him, repeating, "WNADSOSCRUFF!"

Mary glanced from the scene on the floor to the table where there was a plate containing a sandwich. She suddenly realized what Owen was carrying on about. "He wants his crusts cut off."

"What?" Marshall hollered.

"He wants his crusts cut off," she replied, patiently.

Unable to completely comprehend what she was telling him, "he repeated, "What?"

Rolling her eyes, Mary snatched the plate from the table. She marched over to counter where the knife that Marshall had used to make the sandwich and cut off the crusts. She knelt down beside Owen. "Here you go, kid. The crusts are cut off."

Owen looked up at her with his big, blue eyes. He slowed his breathing back to normal and sat up, taking the plate from Mary. "Thank you."

"Sit at the table, buddy," Marshall directed, standing up. He helped Owen settle and cleaned up the spilled milk before turning to Mary. "How did you know that's what he wanted?"

"I have two girls at home, Marshall," she answered. "I've been through a few tantrums."

Rubbing his temple, he replied, "Two... girls?"

Mary looked at him, startled. "Delia didn't tell you?"

"I haven't-" He cleared his throat. "I haven't talked to Delia about you."

"Oh." That truth hit her harder than she expected, but she was unwilling to examine it any further standing in the middle of Marshall's kitchen. "Brandi took off and left her kid with me."

Marshall frowned. "Before or after you left Albuquerque?"

Mary lowered her head. "Before."

"Right." His response was tinged with anger as his earlier gratefulness abated with the reminder of her flee from Albuquerque and from him. "What are you doing here, Mary?"

"I came to talk to you." Her own ire rose with his. "Where the hell were you today? You sent me with a rookie, a damn kid! Were you trying to get me killed? That's it, isn't it?"

"What?" Marshall exploded. He grabbed Mary's arm to drag her out of the kitchen when Owen jumped. "How you could you even think that?"

Mary shrugged. "What else am I supposed to think?"

Marshall flung his hands from his head in disbelief. "You were my best friend! I spent years trying to protect you! I didn't walk away from you, Mary! You walked away from me!"

"I wasn't the one who stood on the balcony and destroyed our friendship," she replied, calmly. In the back of her head, she marveled over their switch roles, where she was normally the one yelling and he was the one being annoyingly cool. Things had really changed over the last year or so.

"Destroyed our friendship?" His eyes widened so much that Mary was actually afraid of a split second that they might pop out of his head. "All I did was ask you not to call me all the time!"

"No." Mary held up a single finger, surprised to find tears in the back of her eyes. "What you said was 'I need you to release me' so that's what I did. I released you. I let you go."

Marshall stumbled backwards a step. "That's... that's not... That's not what I meant and you know it."

Mary shook her head, looking away. "You wanted me out of the way because Abigail was insecure. At least be man enough to admit it since you could be man enough to be the one to walk away from me."

That shot a spark of fire back into Marshall and he turned to her, his eyes blazing. "I never wanted to walk away from you! I just couldn't make you number one in my life anymore when I was never number one in yours! You twisted my words around to justify once again running away just like you do every single time things get tough!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she shot back. "I'm the one that sticks around! I raised my sister, took care of my drunk of a mother. I have two little girls at home depending on no one else but me because I'm the only one that bothered to stick around for them!"

"And yet you've always run from me, Mary!"

"When?" Mary challenged.

"After I got shot," he replied. "After I helped you through your panic attacks after your kidnapping. Faber. Every time we got close, you ran as fast as you could in the other direction! You may have stuck around for your family, but you sure as hell never stuck around for me." Marshall took a deep breath. "What are you doing here, Mary? What could you possibly want from me?"

Mary stilled, studying, really studying, her former partner for the first time since she returned to Albuquerque. He looked older to her, though his hair wasn't any grayer and she couldn't see any new wrinkles. There were dark circles under his eyes; they reminded her of the ones that she had when Norah and Teagan were both infants and she slept for no longer than three hours at a time for months. His blue eyes held no spark, no joy. Mary turned from him, taking in the living room. She could see trucks and blocks scattered everywhere along with Marshall's and Owen's clothes. There were piles of shoes near the front door, but not one was a woman's.

"Where's Abigail?" she asked, quietly.

"What?" Marshall said, bewildered. "I don't really think Abigail is-"

"No!" Owen screeched from the doorway of the kitchen. "No, Aunt Abby! No!"

Mary watched in amazement as Owen tore through the living room, throwing any item that he could get his tiny hands onto across the room. Marshall followed close behind him trying to simultaneously clean up the thrown items and prevent Owen from tossing new ones. The result was an even bigger mess. Owen screamed so loud that Mary could hardly believe that the police hadn't shown up at the door already.

Owen had just reached the dvd stand when Marshall's cell phone rang. He glimpsed at it, briefly, and said with a sigh, "It's Stan."

"Take it. I'll get him," Mary promised. She stepped over to Owen when Marshall hesitated and snatched him up. Marshall stepped into the hallway. Owen punched and kicked her as she brought him to the couch, but Mary held onto him until he stopped fighting her. "See, kid, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"Huh?" Owen asked eying her suspiciously.

Mary chuckled. "Why were you throwing stuff around?"

Owen's blue eyes narrowed. "I don't want Aunt Abigail to come back."

That was definitely an interesting development, Mary thought to herself. She opened her mouth to say more, but was stopped by Marshall returning to the room. His face was pale. "What did Stan want?"

"I've been suspended."


	7. A Marshall's Confessions

"You what?"

Marshall stumbled to the couch, flopping down with such force that the couch shook. "I got suspended."

Mary put Owen down, whispering in his ear to go play with his toys. She turned to Marshall. "Why?"

"For the same reason that you came to ream me out!" he replied, angrily. Forcing himself to take a calming breath, he continued, "They want to review what happened, starting with why the chief assigned specifically to the case took off the day this all went down."

"They don't honest suspect you of helping Griffith, do they?" Mary questioned, indignant.

Marshall nearly smiled at the protectiveness in her voice despite accusing him not even twenty minutes ago of wanting to get her killed. "No. But there have been some… questions about my… performance since..." His voice trailed off as he nodded at Owen. "Stan's been trying to get me to take some time off. I guess he finally got his wish."

Mary rubbed her forehead, a million different questions running through her head. She needed to talk to Marshall, but clearly he was unwilling to do so with the kid in the room. "Do you think I could get a cup of coffee?"

"Uh, I'll have to make it, but sure," Marshall said. He stood and left the living room.

Mary settled Owen down with a television show before following Marshall into the kitchen. She sat down at the table, careful to angle her chair so that she could keep an eye on Owen. She waited patiently for Marshall to deliver her cup of coffee.

"I guess we're sitting here," he grumbled, sitting down at the table. He passed her the mug.

"Yeah, well, I clearly wasn't going to get any answers out of you in there," she told him.

Marshall drummed his fingers against the table. "Why do you need answers at all? We're clearly not friends anymore, Mary."

Mary shrugged. "Maybe I just don't like an unsolved mystery." She sighed when he didn't respond to that. "So, who is Owen? Delia wouldn't spill anything. I'm assuming that he's not actually your son since he was screaming about 'Aunt Abigail'."

"He's not my son; he's my nephew. My-" Marshall choked and tears welled up in his eyes. He cleared his throat to get a hold of his emotions. "My brother, Charlie, and his wife, Jennifer, were killed when a truck driver fell asleep and crossed the center line, hitting them head on. They were killed instantly and left me with Owen."

"Oh, Marshall," she whispered. Her fingers itched to comfort him, but she remained still. "I'm sorry." She paused for a moment, checking on Owen, who was engrossed in his show. "Owen's issues, then, are related to losing his parents?"

Marshall nodded. "It's... been rough. He was always such a sweet kid, but it's all different now. We've been through three nannies in the last six months. The last one quit this morning after Owen bit her for the third time. That's why I was here and not at the courthouse."

Mary shot him a sympathetic smile, a wave of gratitude washing over her towards both Mark's mother and her own. Between the two, she never had to ask for help outside the family. "That sucks, Marshall. You'd think being nannies and all, they would be use to kids acting out."

"Yeah, well, just my luck these days, I suppose."

"So, then, you and Abigail..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the unspoken question between them. Mary knew that she would have to tread lightly with this Marshall, who was just a shadow of her Marshall. His moods were erratic; he was much quicker to anger than he was in the past.

Folding his arms, he leaned back in his chair. "We shouldn't be talking about this. It's really none of your business."

"Marshall," Mary huffed before stopping herself. Ironic, really, that she was the calm one trying to draw him out given that one of the foundations of their friendship was the opposite. A part of her wanted to reach for anger, wanted to blow up at him for abandoning her and laugh in glee at the state of his life. He had chosen Abigail over her, but where was she now?

Mary's eyes met Marshall's. Despite his irate posture, she could see the hurt and vulnerability in his eyes. She had to make him talk. She owed it to him for everything that he had done for her when she could call him her best friend. "Maybe, it's because it's none of my business that you should talk to me."

His head tipping slightly, Marshall pondered her words. As much as he wanted to tell her to shove it, he had felt good to tell her about Owen and Charlie and Jennifer without having to fear that it would color the perception of how he could do his job as he did with Stan or Delia. Despite her insistence otherwise, Mary good be an excellent listener when she wanted to be and she appeared to be in that mood tonight. Besides, she would be gone by tomorrow.

"Abigail filed for divorce last month," he confessed. She patiently waited for him to continue. "Irreconcilable differences is what the papers say. I suppose that's true if you count not wanting to raise the only son of my younger brother a 'difference'."

"She didn't want to raise Owen?" Mary questioned, surprised. "I thought she wanted kids."

Marshall shrugged. "She did want kids, just not this one." Inside his head, Marshall beat himself up. "Okay, that's not entirely true. We were talking about starting our own family when Owen came to live with us. As you can see, he takes up a lot of time and energy."

Mary interrupted, "He just lost his parents!"

"She kept pressing me to start our family, thinking Owen would be fine in time. I finally told her that I didn't know when I would be ready for more children or even if I would ever be ready. I told her that Owen had to be my top priority and that it wouldn't be fair to Owen or to any other children that we might have to start this family until Owen felt safe and secure," he continued. "It was an ugly fight and she left the next day."

"And Owen's issues with her?"

Marshall mulled the question over in his head. How could he explain that Owen hated Abigail almost on sight? That there appeared to be little rhyme or reason as to why Owen had taken such a violent dislike to his aunt. "He's just never liked her. It got worse after the fighting started. Now, I can't even mention her name without that reaction."

Mary had no response for that. She knew from dealing with Teagan that there were some people that Teagan just never warmed up to. Of course, she also didn't bring anyone into the girls' lives, especially on a parental level as Abigail would have been. Sensing that she wouldn't get any more information out of Marshall, she changed the subject. "So, it looks as if you get to take some time off. Maybe, you can go on vacation? Go see your parents for a bit? I know-"

"No!" Marshall cut her off almost violently. Mary flinched at the fire in his eyes. "We absolutely cannot go to my parents." Marshall took a heaving breath to calm his self when he noticed the nervousness in Mary's face. "My parents and I are having a bit of a disagreement currently over Owen. My mother was very hurt that Charlie left him with me and not her and for some reason has decided to blame me. After months of her attempting to correct my parenting, I finally cut off contact for the time being."

"Ouch," she whistled.

He rubbed his face with his hands before looking at her miserably, "I feel like the walls are closing in on me."

Mary nodded in agreement before offering a suggestion that knocked them both. "Why don't you come stay with me for a while?"


	8. Coming Home

The car ride was quiet. The airplane ride had been filled with Owen's chatter, but he grew silent once they entered Mary's car. Neither Mary nor Marshall had been inclined to speak much either. Mary, for her part, spent the entire time trying to figure out what, on earth, possessed her to invite Marshall to her home and what had taken over his brain to accept her offer. They both had walked around in a near daze since then.

“I hope you don't mind sharing the den,” Mary said, breaking the silence when they were just five minutes from her house.

“I'm sure it's fine,” Marshall assured her.

She continued as if she hadn't heard him. “It's just that there's only three bedrooms in the house and with Jinx in one and me in another and the girls sharing the big room, there's nowhere else to put you. The pullout couch is comfortable, at least. Jinx insisted, on the off chance that Brandi would show up one day. We can always grab a blow-up mattress if-”

Marshall placed his hand on hers to stop her from talking. “Mary, I'm sure it'll be fine.” He glanced back at Owen who was watching their exchange with a slightly fearful look in his eyes. He smiled reassuringly. “We're men, right, Owen? We can crash anywhere.”

Owen giggled. Mary forced herself to calm down. It was her first time away from the girls since Teagan was a few months old and they would already be on edge. Bringing in a stranger and his nephew would only make things worse and if she was nervous then it was a sure recipe for disaster.

“Your mother was okay with this, correct?” Marshall asked, timidly. He knew all too well what Jinx's hysterics could lead to.

“Oh, yeah. She's looking forward to it,” Mary told him. That was a lie. In fact, Jinx's reaction was to question Mary's sanity about bringing, as Jinx put it, “that man that broke my darling daughter's heart” into their home along with his nephew. Jinx was convinced that Marshall was looking for little more than a baby-sitter on what was “sure to be a wild and unruly child” that would “corrupt her perfect angels”. Mary had only been able to shut her up when Mary offered to put her up at a hotel for the duration of Marshall's trip and to have Marshall watch the girls during the day.

Marshall looked unconvinced, but refrained from making any further comment when Mary pulled into the driveway of a small white house. His eyes widened as he took in the small front yard littered with toys. Somehow, he had expected her yard to be completely clean as it had been in Albuquerque. 

“Oh,” Marshall gasped when the front door opened and Jinx appeared with two the little girls. There was absolutely no doubt that the older one was Norah. With her blond hair and green eyes, and the way she put her hands on her hips to peer at the car, she was the spitting image of Mary. The younger one, currently hiding behind Jinx's legs, bore a resemblance to both Brandi and Mary.

Norah was bouncing on her feet. The moment Mary emerged from the car, she shot off the porch, shouting, “Mommy!”

Mary lifted her into her arms, smothering her with kisses. “I missed you so much, Bug.”

“Me, too,” Norah pouted. “I cried, but Gramma said that I was making Teagan cry and had to stop. Teagan cried and cried and cried.”

“Come see me, Angel,” Mary called out, putting Norah on the ground. Teagan walked slowly towards Mary, keeping one eye on the car where Marshall was taking Owen out. 

Teagan threw her arms around Mary's neck the moment she was in Mary's arms. “Mama!”

“Who are you?” Norah demanded of Marshall, her hands once finding her hips.

Marshall gulped, his ears turning red at the realization that he was intimidated by this little girl who wasn't even three yet. He pulled Owen a bit tighter on his hip. “Uh, my name's Marshall.”

Jinx walked up to the group, patting Norah on the head. “Oh, this is Mommy's... friend, Marshall.”

“Mom,” Mary growled, warningly. She smiled at Norah. ““Marshall, this is Norah, my chatterbox, and this is Teagan. She's a bit shy. Jinx, of course, you know.” Mary grimaced at the fake grin that Jinx gave him. “Girls, this is my friend, Marshall, and his nephew, Owen. Marshall knew you when you were a baby in Albuquerque, Bug.”

“Did you know my daddy?” Norah asked, excitedly.

Marshall felt the old tinge of disappointment ping his heart. “I did.”

She beamed. “My daddy's the bestest person in the whole world. He buys me presents all the time.”

“Norah,” Mary said quickly to cut off Jinx before she made a snide comment about Mark, “this is Marshall's nephew, Owen. Marshall and Owen are going to be staying with us for awhile.”

“Why?”

Mary breathed out slowly. “Because they're on vacation and all the hotels are filled up.” Norah thought this over for a moment before nodding. 

Jinx took Teagan from Mary, who protested vehemently, and grabbed Norah's hand. “Come on, girls. You can help Grandma with dinner.”

“So, your mom's not so okay with us being here, is she?” Marshall deadpanned when Jinx went into the house.

“Well, no,” Mary confessed, “but she's agreed to be on her best behavior.”

Marshall sighed. “If we're going to cause issues between you and your mom, we can hop on a plan tomorrow and be back home.”

Mary shook her head, surprised by the intensity of her conviction. “This is my house. I am allowed to invite whomever I like to stay here. Jinx will be on her best behavior, I promise.”

“Okay,” he agreed, though he wasn't as sure as Mary seemed to be that this was a good plan. He put a reluctant Owen down to grab their suitcases from the trunk. With Owen sticking close to him, he followed Mary into the house.

In a million years, he would never have picked this house out to be his former partner's. Everywhere he looked, there were pictures of kids and drawings that they had done. The walls were bright and colorful, and though clean, toys were scattered everywhere.

“You have a wonderful home,” Marshall told her when Mary caught him staring. “It’s very warm.”

“If by warm you mean messy and chaotic,” Mary muttered, not sure that she was willing to take Marshall's comment as sincere.

He frowned at the tone of her voice. “So, where will we be bunking?”

Mary jerked her head down the hall. “This way.”

“Oh, Mary, sweetheart,” Jinx called out, following behind them. She was still holding Teagan, who immediately reached for Mary, and dragging Norah along. Norah made a face behind her grandmother's back and Owen shrunk even further into Marshall's side. “I think we're just going to order pizza. I, well, I kinda forgot to go shopping this weekend.”

“No problem, Mom.” Mary rolled her eyes, forcing Marshall to hide a smirk. He was glad to see that some things never changed. 

Jinx shot Marshall an impish smile. “Oh, and Stephen called you. He said that he hadn't been able to get a hold of you on your cellphone and he was worried. He sounds like such a nice boy. When are you going to bring him around here?”

Mary sighed. “Why don't you go call in the pizza, Mom, while I get Marshall and Owen settled?”

“So, who's Stephen?” Marshall asked after Jinx and the girls flitted down the hall. He was anxious to remove the tension that Jinx had brought.

“Just a friend,” Mary huffed.

Marshall chuckled. “A boyfriend?”

She glared at him. “No. Just a,” she glanced at Owen, “tension relieving kind of friend.”

Helping to pull out the bed, he continued to tease her. “It sounds like Jinx is hoping that he could be more. After all, she wants you to bring him around.”

“Yeah, well, Jinx has all kinds of things she wants that she's not going to get,” Mary told him. “Even if he was a 'boyfriend', which he most definitely is not, he wouldn't be coming around here. I learned that lesson. My girls are never meeting any boyfriends, real or otherwise.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I'm going to let you guys get settled in here and when you're ready, I'll show you around the rest of the house.”

“Thanks, Mary.” Marshall sat down on the bed with an odd feeling in his chest. It hurt more than he wanted to admit that she would not consider him boyfriend material even now as proven by the fact that she had brought him home to meet her girls. He just wished he understood why he still cared and how to make himself stop.


	9. Pool Time

“I don't like pizza,” Owen pouted, folding his arms.

“Yes, you do,” Marshall protested, a bit exasperated. The last thing he wanted to do was get into another power struggle with Owen in front of everyone, especially Jinx, who had been shooting Marshall daggers, though she refused to say anything out loud.

Owen shook his head. “Do not. It's icky.”

Norah leaned forward on her boaster seat. “Is not. It's yummy.”

“Norah,” Mary warned in a low voice. “Stay out of it.” Norah made a face before taking a big bite of pizza. Mary had to duck her head to hide her smile. “Owen, if you don't want to eat pizza, you don't have to. I can make you noodles like Teagan's eating.”

“But she's a baby!” Owen protested.

Mary shrugged in response, shooting Marshall a quick look to stay out of their conversation when it looked as if he might jump in. She knew the insult would go straight over Teagan's head so there was little point in making a fuss over it. “Well, those are your options: either eat the pizza like the adults or eat the pasta like Teagan.”

Owen glanced from Teagan to Marshall to his own plate. He ducked his head and mumbled, “Pizza.”

“Wow,” Marshall whispered under his breath, clearly enraptured by Mary's ability to redirect Owen's potential meltdown. He quickly turned his gaze downward when he noticed Jinx frowning at him.

“So, I was thinking that since I have a few days off-”

Jinx interrupted her daughter. “Oh, you have the best boss! Judge Turner is so considerate of you wanting to spend time with your family.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I was thinking that we could go to the pool tomorrow. What do you think, Bug?”

“Yes!” Norah exclaimed, raising her fist in the air.

“Mom?”

Jinx slid her eyes to Marshall. “Well, I did have plans for lunch with Bill, but-”

Mary nearly leapt forward in her chair. “You shouldn't change them, then. You've had the girls all week, anyway. You deserve to have a day for yourself.”

“I, uh,” Jinx sighed to herself, realizing that she had lost that round. “You're right; I do. Maybe, I'll make an appointment to get my nails done, too.”

“Sounds good.” Mary turned to Marshall. “What about you guys? Are you interested in going to the pool tomorrow? It's pretty nice. There's a whole area just for kids under seven. It has these mushrooms that pour water over the kids and a little wading pool.”

Norah clapped. “Slide, Mommy!”

Mary chuckled. “And there's a slide for the kids, too, which, as you may be able to tell, is Miss Norah's favorite part of going to the pool.”

“It's not as if we have all of these other pressing plans,” Marshall joked. He glanced at Owen, who was watching him closely, but not protesting the plans, a sure sign that he actually wanted to go to the pool. “We would be honored to go to the pool with you fair ladies tomorrow.”

“Such a dork,” Mary breathed out. She took on an evil gleam in her eye as she ignored Jinx's huffs. “There will be loads of single moms just ripe for the plucking.”

 

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Marshall glanced around the pool feeling more than a little self-conscious. As it was a weekday, there were very few men at the pool and he seemed to be attracting more than a few stares. He sat down on his towel and pulled Owen in front of him under the guise of applying sunscreen.

“So, you weren't kidding about the single moms here, huh?” Marshall commented.

“Nope.” Mary stripped off her t-shirt and shorts to reveal a modest one-piece black bathing suit that served to accentuate her curves. She was secretly pleased when she caught Marshall watching her out of the corner of his eye. She nodded towards a couple of moms pointing at Marshall. “Looks like you're already getting a couple of bites.”

Marshall groaned. “Whatever you do, don't leave me alone with them!”

Concentrating on putting sunscreen on the girls, Mary shrugged. “What will you do for me?”

“Mommy?” Norah asked, jumping up and down in her pink, sparkly bathing suit. “Is Marshall's face all red because he was in the sun too long?”

“Yes, Bug. That's exactly why Marshall's face is so red,” Mary told her, refusing to look at Marshall for fear of what she'd see in his face. “You better make sure that he puts his sunscreen on.” She laughed when Norah scrambled to sit next Marshall, watching him carefully.

Marshall raised his hands in mock defense. “Are you sure this kid is just going on three?”

Mary nodded, putting a hat on Teagan. “As you know since you were there when she was born.”

“Not exactly,” Marshall muttered, but waved it off when Mary gave him a questioning look. “Seriously, Mare. She's incredibly bright. You might want to have her tested when she goes to school.”

“Yeah, well...” Mary's voice trailed off in embarrassment. She always believed her eldest was a smart kid, but hearing confirmation from Marshall made it real to her. Pushing away all thoughts of Norah and school, she put the swimming vests onto the girls. “Okay, who's ready for the water?”

“Me! Me!” Norah shouted.

Owen surprised them all by also jumping up and yelling, “Me!”

Marshall shot Mary a grateful look. “Let's go.”

“Make sure you stay with one of the adults!” Mary ordered. She picked Teagan up and led the others to the corner of the wading pool, staking out a less populous area. She gently placed Teagan into the water, pouring handfuls over her arms and legs while Norah jumped right in, splashing all over the place.

“Uncle Marshall?” Owen asked, after watching Norah for a bit. “Can we go stand under the mushroom?”

Marshall nodded, grabbing his hand. They weren't there long before the same women that had been pointing at him earlier walked over to them. The taller one, wearing a blue bikini and stringing a boy about Norah's age along, was the first to speak.

“Hello.”

“Uh, hi,” he replied, nervously. Owen stopped playing in the water to watch the adults.

The woman held out her hand. “I'm Candace – Candy – and this is Sarah.” Marshall gave her a quick wave, which she returned. “We haven't seen you around here before.”

Marshall cringed at the way the two were eying him up and he suddenly wished that he had kept his shirt on after all. “I'm not from around here. We're just visiting some friends.”

“Is that your son?” Candy asked, peering down at Owen.

“My nephew,” Marshall corrected.

Candy smiled. “He looks like you. So handsome.” Marshall flushed red. “Is that your girlfriend?”

Marshall shook his head. “Just a friend. I'm actually going through a divorce.” Inwardly, Marshall smacked himself. He was already informing these women way more about himself than he had planned. He was never particularly skilled at what to do when the opposite sex made advances on him.

“I see,” Candy replied with a predatory grin.

“Mommy, why is that lady acting like Gramma does when she wants extra ice cream at the ice cream shop?” Norah asked, loudly. Her question, and Marshall's mortified look, caused the women to hurry off with a mumbled excuse about looking for Sarah's kids.

Marshall picked Norah up and tossed her in the air, much to her delight. “Norah, you are a peach. I am going to get you ice cream on our way home.”

Mary groused, “You're going to have to learn to fend for yourself one of these days.”

“But not today!” He crouched down next to Norah and Owen. “Okay, guys, what do you say we have a splash battle?”

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“How did it go today, sweet pea?” Jinx asked as she handed Mary an iced tea. They were sitting on the back patio, watching the starts. The kids were all asleep and Marshall was taking a shower.

“It was fine, Mom.” Mary fought to not roll his eyes. “I know you think Marshall is some awful guy, but he's not. He was my friend, my only friend, for a long time.”

Jinx patted her hand. “I know that. But I also know how hard it was for you after Marshall got married. You like to think that you ran because you think he didn't want to be your friend anymore.”

Here, Mary did roll her eyes. “I didn't run and he didn't say he didn't want to be my friend. At least, that's not completely what he said.” Jinx stared at her with a knowing smirk on her face. “Why did I 'run' then?”

“You ran because you're unwilling to face the romantic feelings that you had and, judging by the look on your face when you were telling the story of Marshall and the pool women this evening, continue to have for him.”

“I've been in romantic relationships. If I had these so-called feelings, why would I run?” Mary questioned.

Jinx sat back in her chair with a smug chuckle. “Because in this relationship, you wouldn't be the one in control. In this relationship, you would have found your equal. Because in this relationship, you may have found forever.”

Mary stared quietly at her for a few minutes before shaking her head. “Whatever, Mom. Are you sure these aren't Long Island Iced Teas?”

Jinx's only response was to laugh.


	10. Nightmare on Mary's Street

It was nearly one in the morning when the skies opened up with a roll of thunder, a crack of lightening, and a blood-curling scream. Mary burst into the den where Marshall and Owen were staying, her gun drawn in front of her. She found Marshall sitting on the bed trying to comfort a wide-eyed, crying Owen.

“Mary!” Marshall gasped, momentarily distracted from Owen’s wails by the sight of Mary standing in the doorway, gun in hand, wearing a pair of boxers and a tank top.

“Everything okay?” she asked, slowly lowering her gun, her eyes searching the room.

Marshall nodded, swallowing. “Owen just had a nightmare. He wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming. This one was a bad one.”

Mary knelt down in front of Owen. His cries had subdued as he stared at Mary in awe. “You okay, buddy?”

“Y-yeah,” Owen stuttered in response. He sniffed.

“Do you want to tell me about your dream?” she asked. Mary gave him a reassuring smile when he shook his head. “Are you sure? I know a trick to get bad dreams to stay away, but I have to know what the dream is for it to work.”

Owen studied her skeptically for a few moments before turning to Marshall. Marshall nodded encouragingly and Owen looked back at Mary. “There's a monster.”

Mary touched his arm when he fell silent. “What does the monster look like?”

“I don't know. I can't see him.” He took a deep breath. “He chases me. He chases me everywhere. I keep yelling for Uncle Marshall, but I can't find him. I falled down and the monster almost getted me when I woke up.”

“Oh,” Mary breathed out. “Well, that's a pretty big one, but I think we can get rid of it. Now, I want you to close your eyes.” She waited until his eyes where shut tight before continuing. “And I want you to think about that monster.”

Marshall tensed up. “Mare...”

She shook her head to quiet him. “Is the monster making any noises?”

“He's growling and it's really scary,” Owen replied, a slight bit of panic in his voice. “I don't wanna think about him anymore!”

“Ssh, ssh,” Mary soothed. “Listen. He's not growling. He's laughing. Can you hear him laughing, Owen?”

Eyes still closed, Owen nodded. “I can hear him. He's laughing really hard.”

She smiled. “Can you see him getting close?” Again, Owen nodded. “He's going to reach out and touch your shoulder.”

“He's got me!” Owen shrieked. 

“It's okay! It's okay!” Mary reassured him, stroking his hair. “It's not a monster. Just turn around and look at him. It's-”

“Uncle Marshall!” Owen exclaimed. He opened his eyes, wonder filling his baby blues. “It was Uncle Marshall coming to tickle me!”

Mary nodded. “See, not so scary.”

Owen turned to Marshall. “Uncle Marshall, why did you scare-d me?”

“I, uh,” Marshall chuckled to himself. He glanced briefly at Mary. “I'm sorry, buddy. I'll try not to do it again.”

“So, what do you say, Owen? Are you ready to go back to sleep?” Mary asked the small boy, who yawned. “I'm going to take that as a yes. Just remember the next time you have a dream about the monster that it's really Uncle Marshall coming to tickle you.” Mary tickled his side slightly.

Owen threw his arms around Mary. “Thank you, Mary!”

Kissing the top of his head, she replied, “You're welcome. Good night.”

“Mary,” Marshall called out, quietly as she reached the doorway. “Thank you.”

Mary gave him a brief nod before heading back to bed herself.

 

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The rain that had started in the night continued throughout the day, delaying any plans to go to the park that Mary had fixed in her head. Instead, she and Marshall spent the day entertaining the kids indoors. She briefly harbored the idea of taking them to the kids' museum or a play place, but with the rain, she was sure that all of those places would be packed. While she loved and adored her girls and was even coming to appreciate Owen, scores of children were not high on her list of fun things.

They spent the morning building blocks, which were immediately knocked down by Teagan, crashing cars off of couches, chairs, walls, and each other, and playing with the toy kitchen set that Jinx bought the girls last Christmas. Owen complained loudly at the last activity, but it didn't fail either Mary or Marshall's notice that he was the first one to pretend to eat the food that Norah made.

After lunch, Jinx laid down with Teagan for a nap, leaving Mary and Marshall alone with Norah and Owen. Afraid that any play would be loud enough to disturb Teagan, Mary used the dining room chairs and a blanket to create a tent in the living room. She set Norah and Owen up with pillows and juice boxes underneath it and put on a movie. Leaving Marshall in charge, she cleaned up the mess from lunch before returning.

“Hey,” Marshall said, wandering to the back of the living room where Mary stood watching the kids.

“Hey,” she replied. She nodded towards the kids. “Everything good?”

Marshall nodded. “Surprisingly, yes. Owen is almost like a completely different kid since we've been here.”

Mary gave him a brief smile. “It's probably just a honeymoon period.”

“Even still,” Marshall countered, amused that she was refusing to give herself even a little bit of credit for Owen's improved behavior, “these last couple of days have given me hope that things can get better with Owen. I don't think I can thank you enough for that.” Marshall grinned when she waved him off, blushing profusely. He tried to remember if he had ever been able to make her blush before. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Her voice was calm, but she looked at him warily.

Marshall shot a quick glance at the kids to make sure they weren't paying attention. “How did you know that trick about the monster?”

Mary half-shrugged. “Norah doesn't... see Mark very often. He loves her; he just doesn't know how to be a father in another city. Plus, he has a new wife and a step-son and a job where he travels a lot.”

“Mary, you don't have to defend Mark to me,” Marshall interrupted. “It's not any of my business.”

“Right. I guess it's just a reflex after living with Jinx for so long.” Mary took a deep breath. “Anyway, every time he does see her and then leaves again, she ends up with these nightmares where terrible things happen to him. I can't stop her from having those dreams, but getting her to change the ending seems to have helped more than anything.”

Marshall grabbed her hand as she pushed herself off of the wall to walk away. He intertwined their fingers, ignoring both her look of surprise and the jolt of electricity he felt when he did so. “I always knew you'd be a good mother, Mary.”

She gave off a shaky huff. “I don't know about that. I just... make do.”

“No,” he said, emphatically. “I just make do. You're amazing. I'm just sorry I wasn't around to watch you transform into this.”

“Yeah. I'm sorry, too.” Mary pulled away from him without a glimpse and headed to sit with the kids. Marshall remained in the back, mulling over whether her response was positive or negative for their friendship. He realized after a few minutes that he was getting nowhere and joined the kids in their tent.

A/N2: Probably another chapter of happiness before throwing some angst in...


	11. Easy Like Sunday Morning

Marshall woke up early the last day of Mary's time off. After a few minutes, he determined that he wasn't going to go back to sleep. Unwilling to risk waking Owen up too early, Marshall tiptoed out of the room, deciding to make breakfast for the whole house after a short stop in the bathroom.

He had just left the bathroom when a small noise coming from the girls' room delayed his trip to the kitchen. Marshall stopped outside the door to listen. It was clear after a few minutes that one of the girls was awake and that no one else was. Carefully, Marshall crept into the room. He took a quick glance at Norah's bed and saw that she was curled under her blanket, only the top of her blond hair showing. He turned his attention to the crib and saw Teagan staring at him with her big, dark eyes.

“Hi. Good morning,” Marshall cooed, softly, approaching Teagan slowly. She hid her face hind her teddy bear. “Okay, okay. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to.”

Teagan peaked her head up. Gradually, she raised her arms to him. Thrilled as this was the first time Teagan had willing reached out to him, Marshall picked her up. “How would you like to help me make breakfast?”

“Yeah!” Teagan whispered, excitedly.

He patted her bottom. “After we change your diaper!”

Teagan shook her head, but allowed him to change her without a fuss, ensuring that Norah remained asleep. Marshall took her downstairs to the kitchen, keeping her on his hip as he pulled out the ingredients for pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. He sat her up on the counter to help him pour in the ingredients for the pancakes into a bowl. Teagan stuck her tongue out in concentration as Marshall guided her through cracking the eggs.

“What are you doing?”

Marshall turned to find Norah standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. He had to stop himself from laughing. “I'm making breakfast.”

She tapped her foot and pointed to Teagan. “What are you doing with my baby sister?”

“She's helping me cook,” Marshall replied, winking at Teagan who giggled, “and she's doing a really good job at it, too.”

“Does my mommy know she's helping you?” Norah demanded.

Marshall shook his head. “No, but that's because she's still sleeping. I thought it would be a nice surprise for her and for your grandma for them to wake up to breakfast already made.”

Norah frowned, thinking it over. “Oh. Okay.”

“Do you want to help, too?” Marshall asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Grandma never lets me help!” Norah exclaimed. She scrambled across the kitchen and onto the chair that Marshall pulled out for her. 

He handed Norah a spoon. “You stir the pancake mix while Teagan and I put in some chocolate chips.”

“Mr. Marshall?” Norah asked after a few minutes.

“You can just call me ‘Marshall’,” he replied, tapping her nose.

Norah scrunched up her face, causing Marshall to chuckle. “Grandma says it’s not polite to call adults by their first names.”

Marshall nodded. “Normally, that’s true, but I’m giving you permission to call me ‘Marshall’.”

“Marshall,” Norah continued, “are you a dad?”

“Well, kind of,” he told her. “I mean, technically Owen’s my nephew, but I’m raising him as if he’s my own.” Norah blinked, thinking this over. Marshall continued, “Like your mom and Teagan.”

Norah nodded. “Oh.” She paused. “Teagan doesn’t have a daddy.”

Marshall glanced at the younger girl who looked expectantly at her big sister at the mention of her name. “Not exactly, no.”

“I have a daddy,” Norah announced.

“I know.”

Norah sighed. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Marshall started, not anticipating that sentence. “Why- why do you think that?”

“Because I never see him.” Norah frowned. “He has a new family. Grandma told Mommy that’s why he doesn’t come here anymore, but, I think he doesn’t like me much.”

“No.” Marshall turned to face her fully, keeping Teagan between the two of them. He framed her face with his hands. “Your daddy likes you; he loves you. Grown-ups don’t always know that they’re hurting kids. I bet if you talk to your mom-“

Norah shook her head, violently. “No!”

He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Why not?”

“Because Mommy’s sad a lot. I don’t want to make her sadder.”

“Oh, Bug,” Marshall breathed out. “It’s not your job to make your mommy happy or unhappy. But it is her job to help you when you need help. So, if you’re worried that your daddy doesn’t see you enough, you should talk to your mommy. That’s what mommys are for.” Norah grinned as he placed a kiss on her forehead. “Now, get stirring those pancakes. Do you know that I make shapes with pancakes?”

Norah’s eyes grew wide. “What kind of shapes?”

Marshall grinned. “Well, I can do Mickey Mouse and I can do cats, bears, hearts, and octopi, and I can do letters.”

“Can you make shapes for breakfast? Please?” Norah begged.

“Peas!” Teagan repeated. He wasn’t sure if she knew what she was asking for or if she was simply caught up in Norah’s excitement.

Eyes twinkling, Marshall nodded. “Sure.”

Norah raised her arms in triumph. “Yay!”

“What’s going on in here?” Mary asked, entering the kitchen. Though she appeared calm, her heart was racing after waking up and finding her children’s beds empty.

“Marshall’s making us shape pancakes!” Norah explained, furiously mixing the pancake mix.

Mary raised an eyebrow in his direction. “If I recall correctly, Marshall made some delicious pancakes.”

Blushing, Marshall tipped his head at her. “You should know; you ate them enough.”

“What are you doing?” Owen asked, unknowingly echoing Norah’s words from earlier.

“We’re making breakfast,” Marshall told him. “Do you want to help?”

Owen studied them for a bit before shaking his head. Marshall felt his stomach sink a bit. Unperturbed, Mary swung Owen into her arms.

“He can’t help you cook because Owen and I are going to set the table and get the juice, right, Owen?” Surprised, Owen nodded wordlessly. Mary winked at Marshall. “We’ll leave the cooking to you ladies.”

“Mommy says she's not a lady,” Norah whispered conspiratorially to Marshall, “but she wears make-up.”

Mary guffawed. “Ask Marshall to tell you about the time that he wore make-up and a dress and sang on stage.”

Owen and Norah both turned to Marshall and shouted, “What?”

“Really, Mare? Do you want to get into a conversation about who wore what for work?” He laughed when she glared at him.

“I thought you were supposed to be my friend,” Mary muttered, handing Owen one plate at a time to put on the kitchen table.

Marshall's eyes flicked to her green ones with an intensity that nearly stopped her in her tracks. “Best friend, Mary.”

Mary felt as though all the air left her lungs, though she could still breathe. “Right.”

“Eggs, Marsh,” Teagan said, interrupting the moment by tugging on his arm.

“Eggs, yeah,” Marshall replied, slowly. He couldn't remember the last time that he felt such a deep connection to anyone as he did in that few seconds. He shook his head and grinned at the toddler. “Let's make some breakfast.”


	12. Meddling Mothers

“Mary! Welcome back!” Daphne exclaimed upon seeing her marshal for the first time in over a week. Daphne bid Todd a farewell as Mary took over the protective duties.

“Hey, Judge,” Mary replied, scanning the courthouse with one eye. “I didn't think you'd miss me quite that much.”

Daphne laughed as she led Mary into her chambers. “So, tell me, how was your time away? Or is it top secret and I can't know about it?”

Mary gave her a pointed look, which the judge laughed off. Daphne knew Mary couldn't tell her anything, but it never stopped her from asking. “It was fine. It was actually a little weird.”

“Weird how?” Daphne paused in putting on her robe to study Mary.

“It-” Mary shrugged. “I ran into an old friend while I was away.”

Wiggling her eyebrows, Daphne asked, “An old boyfriend?”

Mary huffed, rolling her eyes. “Not even close. He... was my old partner, if you must know.”

“Ah! The reason that you moved out here,” Daphne concluded. Mary wasn't one to open up, but Daphne had pulled enough information over the past year to had a vague idea about what caused Mary to take this specific job. “So, how did it go?”

“Awkward,” Mary admitted, inwardly cursing herself for allowing Daphne to once again get behind her wall. “Turns out that his life isn't going so great right now. His wife left him and he's raising his four-year-old nephew. And while I was in- while I was there, he came real close to losing his job.”

Daphne's eyes lit up. “So, is this like karma for doing you wrong?”

Mary pulled a face. “No! He didn't... We didn't... It wasn't like that; it's complicated.”

“It always is,” Daphne mumbled.

“Anyway, I invited him and his nephew to come out here for a little while.”

Dropping the gavel in her hand, Daphne's jaw dropped. “He's here?” Mary nodded. “Staying with you?” Again, Mary nodded. “In your house with your girls and your mother?”

Mary sighed. “Yeah.”

“Oh, Mary,” Daphne breathed out. “I always suspected that you had some kind of feelings for this guy, but I never expected that you were still in love with him.”

“In love? With Marshall?” Mary sputtered. She waved her hands in front of her. “You are crazy. Clearly, all of this presiding over cases has muddled your brain. The only thing that I've ever felt for Marshall is friendship.”

Daphne walked over to her and patted her cheek. “Oh, Mary. Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

Mary opened her mouth to retort, but she stopped by her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the screen before smiling. “If I was in love with him, do you think I'd be doing this: Hi, Stephen.”

“Hey, Mary. I've been trying to reach you for days.”

“I know.” Mary turned from Daphne's prying eyes. “Things have been a bit hectic lately. I was on a special assignment.”

Stephen paused. “But you're back now, right?”

Mary ignored the bit of ire that rose up from her stomach at his tone. “Yeah, I'm back.”

“Good. So, I was wondering if we could get together tonight.”

“Tonight's not really good for me,” Mary replied. She had promised to take the kids for ice cream and watch a movie. Plus, she really needed to get laundry done as she had forbidden Jinx from touching her washer and dryer. “How about tomorrow?”

Again, Stephen paused. “Yeah, that should work. Meet me at my place at eight?”

Mary bit the inside of her mouth to prevent herself from rolling her eyes. “Better make it nine. The girls have been staying up a bit later lately.”

“What can't your mother put them to bed?” Stephen asked, exasperated.

“Because it's not her job. Do you still want to do this?” Mary was quickly losing her patience with this conversation.

“Yeah. I'll see you at nine.” He hung up the phone without saying good.

Mary faced Daphne once again, a smug look on her face. “See?”

Daphne shook her head, but said nothing. She knew when to push Mary's buttons and when to remain silent. This was definitely a time to keep her thoughts to herself. “Come on. We have a full docket this morning.

 

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“Owen, be careful!” Marshall warned as he sat down in the lounge chair next to Jinx. He kept one eye on his nephew and the other on Jinx as the kids played with a water table in the backyard. “You have to remember that she's littler than you.”

“Oh, he's fine,” Jinx waved off. “He's actually been very sweet with Teagan. I think that's why Norah's on his case so often. She's so used to being the only other kid watching out for her little sister.”

Marshall shot her a brief smile. “She's a lot like her mother.”

Jinx laughed aloud. “She's exactly like her mother. Sometimes,” Jinx lowered her voice. “Sometimes, I wonder if that's part of the reason that Mark stays away.”

“Hm,” Marshall replied, non-committed. Personally, he believed that Mark had minimal contact with Norah because parenting only got harder as they got older and he wasn't one to stick around when times got tough. Still, he refused to get into that discussion with Jinx. 

“So, Marshall, dear boy,” Jinx grinned as Marshall started at her tone and words, “are you ready to tell me the real reason that you're here?”

Marshall stiffened, glancing at Jinx out of the corner of his eye. “Because Mary invited me- us.”

Jinx’s eyes lit up in mirth, much to Marshall’s annoyance. “I know why Mary invited you,” Jinx briefly lowered her voice, “even if she doesn’t.” Jinx flashed him a smile. “What I don’t know is why you accepted it, bringing your nephew across the country to stay with people he doesn’t know.”

“I-“

“Oh, I have a theory.” Jinx picked at her fingernails. “It’s not a theory that either one of you want to hear, but I’m pretty sure it’s accurate.”

Marshall turned his attention to the kids, determined not to ask her about her theory. His foot shook anxiously. After a few minutes he flinched, angry with himself. “Okay, what's your theory?”

Jinx clapped her hands, causing the kids to look at her briefly before returning to the water table when they find nothing to hold their attention. “You, sweetheart, are here because you are, as ever, in love with Mary.”

“I-” Marshall's jaw dropped so suddenly he was afraid that it popped. He shouted, louder than he meant to, “I got married! I'm still married!”

“Technically, I believe you are separated.” Jinx waved off. “And Mary was nearly married. Heck, she had Norah with someone else while pining for you. It's okay, sweetheart!” Jinx called out to Norah when she looked over in concern. 

Marshall shook his head. “You're wrong. We've only ever just been friends.”

Jinx rolled her eyes. “I knew it, you know, the first time that I saw you together. I said to myself, 'that's the man that's captured my baby's heart. It's just too bad that she doesn't know it.' I suspected it the rare times that she talked to me on the phone. You were part of every story. She never mentioned anyway in her life before, but I knew it when I first saw you together.”

“Then, why did you encourage her and Raphael? Why have you done nothing but resent the fact that Owen and I are here?”

“You know my daughter. If I had told her that Raph was all wrong for her, she would run off and married him the next day, like she did with Mark. No, I knew that if I supported her, she'd figure it out in the end.”

Forehead burrowing, he frowned. “That makes absolutely no sense and yet it's Mary so it makes complete sense.”

Jinx stood up as Norah put her hands on her hips to yell at Owen for accidentally splashing Teagan. “As far as being angry that you were here, you hurt my kid, Marshall, when you gave her up for Abigail. I'm allowed to treat you like dirt. Plus, I had to see if her feelings were the same. Norah, don't you yell at that boy!” Jinx turned back to Marshall. “They are, by the way, and things would go a lot smoother if the two of you would just admit that to each other.”


	13. The Boy Toy

“Mommy's home!” Jinx announced to the backyard as Mary walked through the gate. Instantly, Norah and Teagan dropped the toys in their hands to run (and in Teagan's case, toddle) to Mary.

“Mommy!” Norah shouted while Teagan repeated, “Mama! Mama!”

Mary swooped them both into her arms, smothering them with kisses. “Well, this is a fantastic welcome! I missed you! I missed you!”

Norah hung off of Mary's leg when she was put on the ground. “Guess what, Mommy? Teagan only cried once today.”

“Only once, huh?” Mary repeated, tussling the younger girl's hair. “That's not too bad.”

“Yeah, but when she cried, she didn't want you or Gramma or me,” Norah continued. “She wanted Marshall.”

Mary's head shot to Jinx, looking for confirmation. Jinx nodded, biting her bottom lip as she waited for Mary's reaction. If she was expecting fireworks, she was disappointed as Mary quietly contemplated this piece of information. “What else happened today?”

Norah's eyes lit up. Telling her mother about her day was her favorite activity. “Marshall did magic tricks for us! He said that he used to do magic tricks for you, Mommy.”

“Far too often, Bug,” Mary sighed. Her eyes flickered to Marshall, who grinned at her. “He was always torturing me with them.”

“Torturing?” Norah repeated, her head tilted to the side.

Mary frowned. “Um, never mind. Did you and Owen get along?”

Norah's eyes shifted to the little boy standing behind Marshall, peaking out. “Ummmm...”

“That pretty much tells me everything. We are going to have a talk about this later, young lady,” Mary said, firmly. She turned to Owen. “And how was your day, young man?”

“Okay,” he replied with a shrug. 

Mary stepped towards him and pulled him into her arms. “Okay? Just okay? Hm, we're going to have to do something to change that. What can we do to make your day great?”

Owen tapped his chin with his finger. “Can we... watch a movie?”

“Of course! That was the plan we made this morning; that and ice cream.”

“Can I... sit next to you?” he asked, quietly.

Mary felt her heart break a little. “Yeah, sweetheart, you can sit next to me.”

Norah tugged on Mary's sleeve. “I wanted to sit next to you!”

“Well, luckily, I have two sides so you both can sit next to me,” Mary replied, calmly. She sent up a silent prayer to the universe for patience in dealing with her eldest daughter.

“Where's Teagan gonna sit?” Norah demanded.

Mary looked over at her youngest currently playing peek-a-boo with Marshall. “I think Teagan is going to be just fine.”

Jinx touched Norah's shoulder when she started to open her mouth again. “Mary, if you don't need me tonight, I made plans.”

“That's fine. I think we have everything covered.” Mary shooed the two kids back towards the toys. “Actually, I need you to return the favor tomorrow night; after the kids are asleep.”

“Stephen?” Jinx bit her bottom lip when Mary nodded. “You're being careful there, right?”

Mary rolled her eyes. “Of course, Mom.”

She reached out and squeezed Mary's arm. “Good. I don't want anything to get in the way of you and -” Jinx nodded towards Marshall, who was now letting all three kids climb all over him. “We're so not ready for a fourth kid.”

“First of all,” Mary started, disbelief covering her features, “weren't you the one just a few days ago asking me to bring Stephen around?”

“Because I knew you wouldn't and that it would make Marshall jealous,” Jinx explained.

Mary made a face at her. “Secondly, there will not be a fourth child here because there is not a third child here. Marshall and Owen are just visiting.”

Jinx patted Mary's cheek, before sashaying away. She tossed over her shoulder, “You just keep on believing that, sweet pea.”

 

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“Oh, yeah!” Mary panted, rolling off of Stephen. Covered in a fine sheen of sweat, she had a satisfied grin on her face. “That was fantastic.”

“You're always fantastic, sweetheart.” He leaned over and kissed her shoulder, a smug smile plastered on his own face.

Mary squirmed away from him. “I hate it when you call me that.”

Stephen barked out a laugh. “I know. That's what I do it.”

“You can be a real ass sometimes,” Mary said dryly. She dug around blindly on the floor for her clothes.

“Are you leaving so soon?” Stephen asked, burying his nose in Mary's neck. “I was hoping that we could go another round.”

She pushed him away. “Sorry, buddy. You're going to have to look to your hand if you want 'another round'. I've got kids to get home to.”

Stephen sighed as he flopped down on his side of the bed. “You mean, you have your 'friend' to get back to.”

“He's not a 'friend',” Mary replied, using air quotes. “He's a friend, an old friend. Even if he wasn't here, I would be leaving. If you hadn't taken so long to get me off, we might have had time for round two.”

“I may be an ass,” Stephen told her, his dark eyes cold, “but you're sure acting like a bitch.”

Mary shrugged as she stood and pulled on her jeans. “Yeah, well, I am what I am.” She stuffed her bra in her back pocket, not wanting to take the time to put it on and threw on her t-shirt. “I'll call you soon about getting together again.”

Making a face, Stephen turned his back on her. “Sure. Later, Mary.”

Mary was still muttering to herself when she walked into her house. She was annoyed with Stephen, annoyed with herself, and annoyed at the twinge of guilt that she felt while she was with Stephen, as if she was betraying someone. She hadn't felt that way since the early days of Raph.

“Such an idiot,” Mary groaned, though she wasn't sure if she was referring to herself or to Stephen.

“You know, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity.”

Mary jumped, realizing she wasn't alone in the darken kitchen. Marshall smiled as he took a bite of cereal. “It's also a sign of superior intelligence.”

Marshall swallowed. “It's a fine line.”

“One that you straddle every day,” she retorted. Mary sat down at the table, snagging a piece of cereal from his bowl. “What are you doing, sitting here in the dark?”

“I do my best thinking in the dark,” he replied. “Of course, I also do my best thinking eating so I figure if I combine the two, I'll be near unstoppable.”

Mary rolled her eyes as she took another piece of cereal. “You're an idiot. So, what has you up this evening?”

Marshall blushed at the first thought that ran through his head. He knew, however, that he couldn't tell her that he was thinking, or rather trying desperately to not think, about her with her boy toy. “Just... Owen and how much better he's been doing since we came here. You've really done wonders with him, Mare.”

“I haven't done anything but be nice to him,” Mary denied, ducking her head in embarrassment.

“He responds to you,” Marshall insisted. “He listens to you. You make him feel safe in a way that I haven't been able to. He hasn't had any nightmares in the last two nights. After months of waking up to nightmares over and over again, that's... well, it's practically a miracle.”

Mary looked for ways to shift the attention from her. “I'm not alone. Teagan has opened up to you in a way that she hasn't opened up to any other adult besides me. It takes Jinx hours to calm her down and from what I was told, you did it in just a few minutes.”

Marshall's face heated up. “She's a sweet kid. It's impossible not to fall in love with her.”

“Get some sleep, Marshall,” Mary ordered, standing up. She wanted to kill the conversation before it got any more awkward with praise. Mary patted his shoulder as she passed. “Tomorrow's another day.”

“Good night, Mary.” Marshall remained in his seat, finishing his cereal. Mary was opening up to him more and more, but there was still something that held her back from the honesty that they had while they were partners. She seemed to have forgiven him for the list of offenses that she held against him so his mind wandered to her boy toy. She claimed that he was just a tension relieving kind of friend, but Jinx had definitely implied otherwise when he first got there. Besides, he heard that song and dance from Mary before and that ended up with an engagement to Raph.

Marshall sighed. “I'm supposed to be over this. Why can I not get over you, Mary?” He started when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket to see a name that didn't think he would see again.

“Abigail.”


	14. Marshall's Mistake

Mary's going to kill me.

That was the first thought that flowed through Marshall's brain when he agreed to meet Abigail the night after she called. It was also the thought that continued to loop in his consciousness since then. It wasn't enough for him to hang up the phone on her, though he knew he should. Instead, his curiosity got the better of him and he agreed to meet with her, leaving Owen with Jinx for a few hours.

“Hello, Abigail,” Marshall said when she opened the door of her hotel room.

Abigail frowned at both the name and the tightness in his voice. “Hello, Marshall. Come on in.” She smiled as she attempted to lighten the atmosphere. “And no need to be so formal; we've seen each other naked.”

Marshall simply nodded his acknowledgment at the “Friends” reference as he stepped through the door. “How did you know that I was out here?”

“Delia. I told her that I needed to find you to sign the divorce papers and she was just ever so helpful in telling me where you were,” she told him, cheerfully.

“Where are the papers?” Marshall asked, briefly wondering why Delia sent her out here instead of simply telling Abigail that she would have Marshall get in touch. He took a stepped backwards when she moved towards him.

Momentarily thrown off by his aloofness, Abigail quickly bounced back and forced the optimism back into her voice. “Oh, they're around here. Don't you want to get caught up first, though? It's been awhile since we've talked to each other.”

Marshall made a face. “And whose fault is that?”

“Mine,” she admitted. Her eyes took on a gleam as she saw a softening in his face. “But that was a mistake. I... made a mistake.” This time when she took a step towards Marshall, he didn't move. “I've missed you, Marsh.” She tentatively placed her hand on his chest, holding back a smirk when she felt him shudder. “Have you missed me?”

“Of course, I have,” he agreed, his eyes shifting away from her. “Missing you, loving you, was never the problem.”

Boldly, she reached up and kissed his jaw. “I still love you, too. And if you love me and I love you, then maybe we can find a way to work this out.”

Marshall sighed, but didn't stop her as she kissed his neck. “Abs...”

“Marshall,” Abigail muttered, taking his earlobe in between her teeth. “We were always so good together.”

“We were,” he concurred. He closed his eyes as she pushed her body against his.

She nibbled on his bottom lip. “We could be that good again.”

Feeling himself harden involuntarily, Marshall rolled his eyes into the back of his head. She felt so good pressed against him and she smelled just as sweet as he remembered. He sent out a silent apology to the universe before turning his head to capture her lips. “We could.”

From there, it was nothing but tongue, teeth, and lips. Their clothes ended up intertwined in piles all over the room. They tumbled into bed together. It was over before Marshall had time to really know what he was doing. He lay on his back, trying to comprehend what had just happened while Abigail talked beside him.

“Once we get Owen settled with your parents and you back home, we can start trying to have a baby of our own.”

“What?” Marshall asked, startled, as Abigail's babbling finally pierced his thoughts.

Abigail shot him a confused look. “I talked to your mother. She's setting up a room for Owen. Come on, sugar bear. You know that it just wasn't working out with us and Owen.”

Marshall sat up, slowly. “You mean, it wasn't working out for you. Wow. Nothing's changed.” He stood off the bed and began to dress. “Owen is not just my nephew. No anymore. He's my son! We are a packaged deal.” He finished putting his clothes on and stalked over to the desk where the divorce papers lay. “You had no right to talk to my mother. This was a mistake. You were a mistake.” Marshall signed the papers. “I'm done making mistakes with you.”

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked Abigail in his wake, calling out his name.

 

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Marshall returned to Mary's house just minutes after she got home from work. It was clear from the disappointed look that she shot him that Jinx had already informed her of where he had been that afternoon. For a brief moment, he contemplated keeping his meeting a secret; it wasn't any of her business who he saw. Marshall nearly laughed aloud at his brain for that one as it had never matter to Mary whether or not it was any of her business.

“Hey, Mary,” he said, forcing his voice to remain even while his heart raced wildly. “Good day?”

“Not as good as yours, apparently,” she retorted.

A flash of anger ripped through him. He kept his voice low so it wouldn't be overheard by the kids playing in the next room. “I don't think that is any of your concern... especially given your extracurricular activities the other night.”

Mary's eyes widened. It was rare for Marshall to challenge her on her personal life. Her cheek twitched. She stepped close to him. “You reek of sex. Take a shower before my girls smell it on you.”

Marshall opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when Mary stomped out of the room. He rubbed his hands over his face in near disbelief over how is day had turned out. He inhaled deeply, catching a sniff of the gardenia scent that Abigail always wore. His stomach roiled and he hurriedly took a shower to scrub the scent, and his day, away.

When he emerged from his room some forty-five minutes later, he found Jinx in the living room with Owen and Norah and Mary upstairs giving Teagan a bath. Marshall patted Owen on the head before sitting down on the couch. He turned toward Jinx to speak, but she talked first.

“There's a plate for you in the microwave, if you're interested.”

“Thanks,” Marshall muttered.

Jinx waved him off. “That was all Mary. I would have let you starve, but for some reason, my daughter had to make sure that you were taken care of.”

Marshall's jaw clenched. “Yeah, well, she's a wonderful person.”

“Hm,” was all Jinx replied before turning her attention back to the television.

“I think my mommy's mad at you,” Norah announced, popping up at Marshall's knee.

Barely stopping himself from rolling his eyes, Marshall asked, “Why's that?”

Norah shrugged. “Because we always eat dinner as a family. It's a rule.”

“We're not family,” Owen piped up.

“Uh-huh,” Norah countered.

Owen shook his head, emphatically. “Nuh-uh!”

Placing her hands on her hips, Norah squared off with him. “Yes, we are!”

“Then who am I?” Owen demanded, also standing. Both Jinx and Marshall watched them closely, debating whether or not to intervene.

“You're my brother, stupid,” Norah replied. 

Jinx's jaw dropped. “Why would you think that, Bug?”

Again, Norah shrugged. “Because he lives with us and he's a kid, too, just like Lexi's brother.”

“Norah,” Marshall said, gently. He moved to the edge of the couch and took her hands in his, “Owen and I are just staying here for awhile, like on a vacation. We're not living here. We'll be leaving to go home soon.”

“But you can't leave!” Norah cried out. She pulled away from Marshall and threw her arms around Owen. “You have to stay here and be a family with us!”

Jinx bit her bottom lip. “Norah, you don't even get along with Owen most of the time.”

Norah hugged him closer. “We're not 'apposed to get along! Lexi doesn't get along with her brother, either!”

“I don't want to leave,” Owen said, quietly. “I want to stay here with Mary and Teagan, even if I have to be Norah's brother.”

“Guys,” Marshall sighed.

“Who wants ice cream?” Mary asked, walking into the room. It was just the distraction that the kids needed as the dropped the previous conversation to rush into the kitchen. Mary, Teagan in her arms, glanced briefly at Jinx, but was unable to maintain eye contact. With a slight smirk, Jinx followed the kids into the kitchen.

“Mary...” Marshall trailed off as she looked at him.

Mary closed her eyes. “We'll talk later.”


	15. The Kids Weigh In

“Mommy?” Norah whispered through a yawn.

Mary froze in the middle of the room where she had been trying to sneak out. Holding in a sigh, she turned to kneel by Norah's bed. “What is it, Bug?”

Norah reached out to pat Mary's cheek. “I don't want Marshall and Owen to leave.”

“Why? I thought you didn't like them?”

“I didn't!” Norah exclaimed. She frowned when Mary hushed her. “I like them now. Marshall is funny, even Grandma laughs at him. He makes yummy breakfasts. He likes to play with us in the yard. And... and...”

Mary stroked her hair. “And what?”

Norah sighed. “I want him to be my daddy since my daddy don't want me anymore.”

“Oh, Bug.” Mary took in a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. “Your daddy does want you. He loves you. He just... lives far away and can't see you as much as he wants.”

“But Marshall wants to see us. And Teagan loves him. Teagan doesn't love anyone,” Norah explained.

Tickling her, Mary countered. “That's not true. Teagan loves you and me and Grandma.”

Norah swatted Mary's hands away. “Teagan cries for Marshall when you're not here. Isn't that what a daddy does?”

“Um...” For the millionth time, Mary cursed her luck in having a child wise beyond her years. She had a hard time believing that Norah was just approaching her third birthday, despite being present at her birth; a premature birth at that. It simply astounded her that this brilliant child came from her and Mark, of all people. Secretly, she believed that spending so much time with Marshall while pregnant had somehow influenced Norah's intelligence, not that she would ever admit it to anyone. “It's not that simple, Bug. Marshall can be your friend without being your dad. And he can come back and visit us. We might even be able to go visit him and Owen at their house.”

“But Owen- Owen's my brother.” Norah's breaths grew shallow. “Isn't he?”

Shaking her head, Mary gently shushed her to calm her down. “No, but he is your friend.”

Tears fell from Norah's eyes. “But why can't he be my brother? Why can't we be a family?”

“Because Marshall and I don't love each other, not in a way that would make a family.”

“Marshall loves you. Grandma said so.” Norah flung her arms around Mary's neck. “Please, Mama, please! I'll be good. I won't fight with Owen. I won't be sassy with Grandma. I'll help Marshall with breakfast. Please let them stay!”

“Ssh. Ssh,” Mary soothed, stunned by the depth of Norah's change in emotions over the last couple of weeks. She wondered just what was going on while she was at work. “Norah, this isn't your fault. This isn't anybody's fault. Marshall and Owen can't stay because they don't live here. They have their own life back in Albuquerque.”

Mary's words did little to calm the sobbing child. Instead, Mary rocked her until she fell asleep. She paused in the doorway to watch as her girls slept. She had been very careful in their short lives to keep any guys away so that the girls never got attached. So, how in the hell did Marshall slip through?

Of course, Marshall had always been the one to slip through her defenses, Mary thought to herself as she closed the bedroom door. From the very first case they worked, he was there, pushing her to do better, be better, be more open, be more truthful, be more trusting. She came to depend on him, too much, as it happened as she ran from him, from their friendship, at the first sign that she would need to carry the friendship for awhile instead of relying solely on him. Despite the reasons she told her mother, told Marshall, told herself, deep down, she knew that the real reason that she fled was that she didn't think she could do it on her own and was afraid to let him see her fail.

 

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“Uncle Marshall?” Owen asked as Marshall tucked him into bed.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Marshall knelt beside the pull-out couch so that he could hear Owen better.

Owen sighed. “If I'm a really good boy... I won't yell or cry or throw things anymore... can we stay here?”

Marshall gave him a sad smile. “No. We don't live here.”

“Because nobody wants me.” His matter of fact voice broke Marshall's heart.

“Owen. I want you. I love you.” Marshall pulled him into a fierce hug. “You are my son, do you hear me? You are my son and I am never letting you go.” He let him go just enough to allow Owen to see his face, which was brimming with tears. “There is nothing more important to me than you. You are the most wonderful little boy in the world.”

Owen sniffled. “Really?”

Marshall hugged him again. “Really. We are not leaving because you were bad or because no one here wants you. You are not bad and they love you here; Mary, Jinx, Teagan... and apparently, Norah. We're going back because that's where we live. My job's back there; all of your stuff is, too. We have had a really good time here, but it's just a vacation. Our lives are back in Albuquerque.”

“Can't our lives be here?” Owen asked. The question surprised his uncle who chalked it up to Norah's influence. “Can't we be a family?”

“We can be friends,” Marshall countered. “We can come and visit again. And they can come out and visit us. Did you know that Norah was born out there?”

Owen's eyes widened. “No-ooo.”

Nodding, Marshall continued, “Yep. Mary and I worked together when Norah was born. That,” he laid Owen back town and poked his stomach, causing Owen to giggle, “was before I was the boss.”

“Was Mary the boss?” Owen asked.

“Only in her own head,” Marshall muttered. “No, my friend, Stan, was the boss. Do you remember Stan?”

Owen shrugged. “Kinda.”

Marshall repositioned the blankets. “Well, he was the boss and Mary and I were partners.”

“And Miss Delia?”

“Miss Delia came along a little later, but she was there when Norah was born.” Marshall smiled to himself. “Norah was early, really early. I was the one that went with Mary to the hospital. I was the only one that she trusted when she was hurt.” He glanced away. “The only one that she really trusted with anything. Do you know that I knew she was pregnant before she did? Of course, I had to pretend that I didn't because it would have completely freaked her out.” Absently, Marshall stroked Owen's hair. “She was going to give Norah up. I knew she wouldn't go through with it, but again, I had to play along. But I knew. I knew she wouldn't be able to send her child out in the world, unprotected. Obviously, she would have been protected by her adoptive parents, but that's not Mary protection. Anyone that's been in Mary's presence with her mother and sister for more than three minutes would know that Mary has an inherit need to protect her loved ones.”

Owen turned on his side, putting his hands under his head. “Uh-huh.”

Marshall sighed. “The only thing I didn't see coming was Mary running across the country to get away from me. I should have seen that. Before Ab- before my relationship, I would have. I can't believe that I let that change. I can't believe I so easily let her go because of what? Her running off with that scumbag when I knew she was going to do that, too?”

“Uncle Marshall?” Owen whispered.

“Yeah?”

Owen yawned. “Can you shut up? I'm trying to sleep now.”

Chuckling, Marshall shook his head. He kissed Owen's head before rising. He turned off the light as he left the room, closing the door behind him. He jumped when he found Mary leaning against the wall.

“Ready for that talk?”


	16. Revisiting Old Hurts

They had been sitting the in the kitchen for the last ten minutes looking everywhere but at each other. Neither of them wanted to be the one to start the conversation, but neither did they want to run. Not this time when their friendship was once again on the line.

“I should probably start by apologizing for Norah,” Mary said, finally. She chuckled. “She's a bit of a spitfire, in case you haven't noticed.”

“There's really no reason to apologize,” Marshall assured her. “If it helps, Owen apparently doesn't want to leave as much as Norah doesn't want him to.”

Mary gave him a small smile. “They're good kids.” 

Marshall sighed after another few moments of silence. “I-”

“How could you? With Abigail?” Mary cut him off, her emotions bubbling too fast for her to stop herself. 

“I-”

She waved her hands to stop him from speaking again. “I don't mean today. How could you date her? How could you marry her? How could you pick her over our friendship?”

Marshall's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Mary to go that far back in their relationship, but now that she had, he found anger rising up in him. “How could I? How could you get engaged to Raph? How many times did you choose him over our friendship? And Faber? You ran off with that douchebag right after I practically spilled my heart out to you!”

“Practically,” Mary repeated. “You 'practically' spilled your heart out, but you didn't actually spill your heart out. How was I to know whether that was different than the babble that you're always tossing at me? And what if I had been wrong? What if I had spilled my heart out to you, told you that your were my 'somebody', and you only meant friendship? Would that not have absolutely killed our friendship? I couldn't take that risk.”

“Mary.” Marshall opened and closed his mouth several times as he processed what she had just revealed to him. He knew that she hadn't meant to, but there was no way that he was letting it go. “Are you... telling me... that you were in love with me?”

Mary paled. “N- n- uh.” She closed her eyes, desperately wishing for the ground to swallow her whole. “I think maybe if we have a plan for the kids to get together sometime soon, it'll make things easier. I have some time off coming up and-”

Placing his hand on hers to shut her up, Marshall refused to let the conversation turn. “I'm not allowing you to run from this, not this time. And I'm not going to hide my feelings behind big words so that I can leave room for interpretation. Our friendship has already been ripped to shreds. What do we really have to lose?”

“Nothing,” Mary agreed. She pulled her hand out from his.

“Mary, I've been in love with you since our first case together,” he admitted, “when you still worked with FTF.”

She ran her hand through her hair. “You didn't even know me then.”

Marshall laughed. “True, I didn't know what your favorite color was or how you liked to spend your Sunday afternoons, but I knew that you were a kind and caring person that had been hurt in the past and developed walls to keep away the pain. I knew you were loyal and gruff and if I could just get passed your defenses that I would have a friend for life. By the end of that trip, I couldn't imagine growing old with anyone besides you.”

“But you did eventually,” Mary countered. “Even before Abigail, there were others.”

“There were flirtations, distractions.” He shrugged. “I wasn't serious with anyone after you came into my life until Abigail.”

Mary clasped her hands together. “And what was so special about her?”

Marshall shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing. That was part of her appeal. You have to understand that after you ran off with, went on vacation with, whatever you want to call it, with Faber, that you left me devastated. Then, in walked this police detective, who was bubbly and sweet and nothing like my partner. Things were uncomplicated with her. Well, until you showed up in the picture again.”

Mary scoffed. “When are you going to stop blaming me for everything wrong in your relationships?”

“I'm not blaming you.” He rubbed his mouth with his hand, gathering his thoughts. “I was the one that set you up to be the most important person in my life. I was the one who stuck you on this pedestal,” she shot him a look of surprise at this revelation, “and then abandoned you when you couldn't meet my impossibly high standards. I could have kept being your friend, Mary. I could have told you no. I could have put boundaries on our friendship, but I didn't.”

“Why?” she asked in a small voice.

Marshall looked away, ashamed. “At first, I think I wanted you to see what a great person that I could be; how great we could be together. But later, I think I wanted to hurt you like I had been hurt.” With a heavy heart, he continued, “See, I knew that eventually Abigail would put her foot down. I knew that she would make me choose. And I hoped that you would let me choose you, but if you didn't, I hoped that you would feel devastated by the loss of my friendship. Some ego, huh?”

Mary slammed her head on her hands where they lay on the table. “I don't think it's any worse than leading your best friend on for years so that he couldn't move on because I couldn't make up my mind whether to give you a shot or not.” She raised her head. “You may think you're selfish, but I think you're the most selfless person that I know. No one else would put up with me; no one ever did, not even my family. Oh, they came around when they needed something, but nobody ever tried to understand me like you did. I did everything I could to push you away while holding onto you desperately.”

“What do you mean?” he questioned, looking into her eyes for the first time.

“You got shot and I ran back to Raph. I get kidnapped, but you're the one I let touch me, hug me. I let guilt get engaged to Raph and then I hid it from you because I was afraid of your reaction, but then I tried to put that all on you. I hear you're going on a date and I suddenly can't think straight. I get shot and the only person on my mind was you. So, instead of using that as a wake-up call that I'm with the wrong person, I throw myself into my relationship with Raph. You tell me that you're the one I should be with and I go running to the one guy that I am sure that you won't forgive me for. And I was right. You moved on; you found Abigail and I did everything I could to undermine your relationship.”

Overwhelmed, Marshall held up his hand. “Maybe we should stop for the night.”

Mary shook her head. “If I don't get this out now, I may never tell you. At least, not sober.” They both chuckled at that. “I slept with Mark because of that date of yours that we crashed where you two looked so good together.”

“I moved in with Abigail because you slept with Mark,” he confessed. They stared at each other before barking out in laughter, simultaneously. “We are quite a pair.”

“I kept Norah for you.”

Marshall jumped at her confession. “Wh- what?”

Mary wiped away a tear from her eye. “I knew, intellectually, that you would be there for me in whatever way I let, but I didn't really believe it; not deep down, until that stupid speech in the middle of that baby store. That was the moment that I decided to keep her. For one second, one brief second, before the job took over again, I could see you, me, and the baby as a family.”

“So, what changed? How did you go from picturing that to barely letting me even be around Norah?” His voice was strained as all the hurt he felt from back then came rushing out.

“Abigail.”

 

A/N2: I had hoped to get all of this conversation in one chapter, but they just wouldn't shut up. I hope you forgive me!


	17. Laying It All Out On The Table

“Abigail?” Marshall repeated. “What does Abigail have to do with it? It can't be because we were in a relationship. You never let that stop you on anything.”

“I wanted you when I was in the hospital in labor. I asked for you. Did you know that?” Mary asked. Marshall shook his head. “I didn't think so. I knew that you would be there if I asked for you.”

Marshall shifted uncomfortably as the fear that he had felt for both Mary and Norah at that time welled up inside him. “I didn't know. Mark told me that you didn't want me in there, that it made you uncomfortable.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “Just one more of his failures.”

“So, where does Abigail come in to play?”

“It was after I decided to keep her and after we knew Norah was going to be okay. Abigail came to visit by herself. She kept going on and on about how beautiful Norah was and how she couldn't wait until you and her had one of your own. She talked about how special it would be for the two of you to share in every first when you had kids; first smile, first laugh, first roll over, and so on.” Mary took a deep breath. “I know that I seem oblivious most of the time... but I know what you've done for me. I couldn't take that away from you, sharing all those firsts with Abigail. So, I kept Norah away. I tried to break away, too, but then all that stuff with my dad...”

Marshall's shoulders fell. He knew that they were quickly coming upon what he called “the speech that ended their friendship” and he wasn't sure that he was ready for it. “Yeah.”

Eyes flashing, Mary turned angry. “How could you? How could you give me that speech to me when I had just lost my father? And that's the line you draw? For years, you let me walk all over your life, scare off girlfriends, dictate vacations and days off, but helping me when my absentee father has died is going too far? You broke my heart!”

“I broke your heart?” Marshall repeated, eyes wide. Even if he had imagined that possible, he never would have predicted that she admitted it. “Mary, I-”

“Oh, forget that. Please, forget that I said that,” she begged.

Marshall shook his head slowly. “No. I can't. We've been honest up to this point; we have to keep going. Mary, I never knew that it was possible that I could break your heart because I never knew that I had any piece of your heart.”

Her chin quivered and she found it impossible to look directly in his eyes, though she knew he deserved the courtesy. Mary's chest felt heavy as the room seemed to fade into fuzziness. She clenched her feet, trying to keep herself grounded. It was time for the truth.

“Marshall,” she croaked. Mary gulped and licked her lips, “you don't own a piece of my heart. You... own my whole heart. If it had only ever been a piece, I could have easily used you up and tossed you aside like I did to Rafe or to Faber or to any of the others.” She briefly ventured a glance at his face, seeing confusion and curiosity laying there before scurrying back to the table. “As much as I wanted to push you out of my life was as much as I was desperate to keep you there. You've had my head spinning for a decade.”

“It's only fair since you've had mine spinning since the day we first met.” Marshall grinned. “You do realize that we've both been talking as if this... as if these feelings are not in the past.”

Mary cringed. She resisted all urges to use that as a way out. “They're... not. At least, not for me.”

His leg shaking with nervous energy, Marshall replied, “For me, either.”

“But you got married. You-”

“-thought I didn't have a shot with you after Faber and therefore, forced myself to move on. You want to know why I gave you that speech when I did? It wasn't because of Abigail's ultimatum. I mean, that was the catalyst, but I could feel myself slipping back into that role of wanting to be your caregiver,” Marshall explained.

“My keeper?” she suggested, softly, causing them both to smile at the memory from the desert so long ago.

Marshall ducked his head. “Something like that. I knew that if I didn't break our cycle right there and then that we would have gone back to the same old push and pull that we always had, only worst, because I didn't think you wanted me around and because I would have lost Abigail, too. And I really believed at that time that she was my only chance at a happy, normal life.”

Swallowing, Mary forced herself to consider his words and not react negatively. He was correct, she realized. If he hadn't changed the dynamics of their relationship, they would have continued down the same path that she always drove them and he would have been miserable. Still, the thought that he saw Abigail as his only chance at happiness caused a piece of fear to unfold in her heart. “And do you still feel that way?”

“I know now what I've known all along, but tried to deny.” Marshall took her hand between his two. “The only way that I can be happy, truly happy, is with you in my life. If that means that we have to start out again as friends and work our way up to something more or if that means that we only ever remain friends then-”

Marshall was cut off suddenly by Mary's lips on his. He hesitated for half a second before he was kissing back with even more enthusiasm. He grabbed her hips to pull her to him, settling her on his lap. They broke the kiss with laughter when they're movements caused the table to shake hard enough to knock over the salt and pepper shakers.

“Soooo,” Marshall whispered, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear, “I guess that would be more than friends.”

Wiggling on his lap to make him groan just a bit, she agreed, “I guess so.” She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “We'll have to go slow. We have the kids, and our jobs are across the country, and it's going to be very weird going from friends to... more than friends.”

Marshall ran his hands up and down her back. “You're right. I have dreamed about this for so long; I'm willing to wait as long as it takes to make this last.” He kissed her below her ear. Delighted at Mary's shiver, he kissed her twice more. He nip her earlobe. “Did you ever dream about us?”

“Uh,” Mary rolled her head to the side as he latched onto her neck, “I, um, I wouldn't let myself fantasize about you, about us, but actual dreams, yeah, I've had quite a few of those.”

“Dirty ones?”

Grabbing his head between her hands, she forced his lips from his body. “Oh, yeah. Break the bed and walk funny for two days ones.”

Marshall gave her a goofy grinned. “I can't wait to try that out.”

“Let's not wait.” She kissed him until they were both breathless. Mary could feel his erection, strained through his jeans, and her nipples were near sharp with arousal. “We've waited long enough. Take me to bed, Marshall.”

“I should be rational about this, tell you that we should wait until we've had time to digest the changes to our relationship,” He slipped his hands under her shirt, biting back a moan when he caressed her silky skin. “But I would be a fool to turn you down when you're offering yourself to me and I'm not fool. Not anymore.”

Mary jumped from his lap, grabbing his arm to pull him up. “Let's check on the kids before we... get down.”

Marshall chuckled as he allowed himself to be pulled along to the den, neither of them able to keep their hands off each other. He opened the door just a crack so as to not disturb Owen. Smiling, he motioned to Mary. “Take a look at this.”

Mary shot him a confused look, but stuck her head in the door. In the middle of the bed lay Owen and Norah, their arms protectively around each other. “I guess they're over that whole hating each other. Do you think we should move her?”

“Nah, let them be.” He grabbed her hand and lead her away. “Looks like that's one less battle we have to face.”


	18. The Morning After

When Mary woke early the next morning, she found herself all alone in bed. She rolled over to feel how cool the other side of the bed was to determine how long Marshall had been gone, only to groan when every single muscle in her body seemed to protest. Despite being by herself, she blushed from her toes to the top of her head when she thought about all the things that she and Marshall had done last night. 

To say he was inventive would have been the biggest under-exaggeration that she ever told. She was pretty sure that the things he did with hands and tongue were illegal in at least half the states. Marshall was a machine and his sole purpose was to give her pleasure. He made sure that she hit her peak three times before finally taking in his own pleasure. He had then woken her up in the early morning and made love to her slowly, gently. She thought her heart might burst from his tenderness.

Mary heard a noise come from the kitchen and figured it was Marshall starting breakfast. Glancing at the clock, she decided to jump in the shower before the girls got up. She emerged from her room nearly thirty minutes later, her wet hair in a messy bun. She walked into the kitchen, only to walk back out, unnoticed. She stood just outside the doorway, peaking in.

Marshall had all three kids sitting on the counter. Teagan was squished between the older two. He held a blue mixing bowl in his hands and was instructing the kids to drop banana chucks and chocolate chips into it. 

“Uncle Marshall?” Owen asked, his voice almost timid.

“Yes, Chef Mann Jr?” Marshall replied in a formal voice that had them all smiling.

Owen squirmed in his seat, taking a quick glance at Norah. “Norah and I were talking.”

Marshall raised his eyes upward, silently praying for strength to handle whatever was going to come next. “Yes?”

“Norah and I are not gonna fight no more.” He took a deep breath. “And we're not gonna be separated.”

“I thought we talked about this last night,” Marshall said, gently.

Norah put her hands on her hip and shook her head. “So? We're gonna kept talking 'til you and Mommy change your minds.”

Owen folded his arms. “Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Teagan echoed.

“Oh, don't you start, little miss,” Marshall teased, tickling Teagan's stomach. “I'm having a hard enough time with these two.”

Teagan held her arms open for Marshall to pick her up. He kissed her forehead as he settled her into his arms. Norah scrunched up her face. “See, Teagan don't want you to go.”

Marshall turned to the stove, heating up the pan. “Doesn't. Teagan doesn't want me to go.”

“See!” Norah shouted.

“Oh, brother,” Mary whispered from the doorway. She was torn between helping Marshall out and the amusement in watching him flail about.

Pouring the batter into the pan using one hand, Marshall asked the kids, “I have a job in Albuquerque. What would I do out here?”

Owen and Norah looked at each other, frowning. She offered, “Work with Mommy?”

“They don't let married people work together,” Marshall explained.

“Stay home?” Owen offered.

Marshall chuckled. “That's very progressive of you, Owen, but I don't think we'd all survive on Mary's salary.”

Norah kicked her feet. “Get a new job.”

“'ew 'ob,” Teagan repeated, patting Marshall's cheek.

“If only it were that simple,” Marshall mumbled. He finished the pancakes and stacked them on a plate. “Breakfast is ready.”

He put Teagan in her booster seat before helping the other two to their chairs. Marshall cut up pancakes for everyone. Deciding it was safe now the kids were preoccupied with eating, Mary swept into the room. 

“Morning, everyone,” she said, kissing the tops of Norah, Teagan, and Owen's heads. She grabbed coffee and a plate before settling next to Owen. “What would you guys like to do today?”

“Get married,” Norah told her.

Mary choked on her sip of coffee. “What?”

Marshall hung his down. He had finally gotten Mary and didn't want anyone spooking her, particularly the kids. “Really, guys?”

“What do you say, Marshall? Wanna run away and get married?” she asked. She bit her lip to stop from laughing when his head shot up.

“Yay!” Norah and Owen cheered. Teagan stopped mid-bite to watch them.

Mary shook her head. “Yeah, not happening guys.”

Norah stuck her bottom lip out. “I'm telling Grandma.”

“Telling Gramma what?” Jinx asked, breezing into the kitchen.

“Mommy won't marry Marshall,” Norah tattled.

Jinx chortled. “Of course not. Mommy-” She stopped suddenly, peering at Mary. “Oh, my God! You totally had se-”

Mary jumped out of her chair and slapped her hand over Jinx's mouth. “Little ears, Mom!”

“Sorry.” Jinx looked between the other two adults. “How did this happen?”

“We talked. That's all you need to know for now,” Mary said in a threatening tone.

Jinx held her hands up in defeat. She grabbed her own cup of coffee and squeezed in between Owen and Teagan. “Isn't this cozy? The family all around the table for breakfast?”

Mary sighed. “Really, Mom?”

“Gramma, me and Owen want Mommy and Marshall to get married,” Norah stated. “Then, Mommy can be Owen's mommy and Marshall can be my daddy and Teagan's daddy. You can be Owen's gramma!”

“I would love to be Owen's grandma,” Jinx assured them both. “In fact, Owen, sweetheart, why don't you go ahead and call me 'Grandma'?”

Owen's face lit up and he nodded, enthusiastically, his mouth full of pancake. Marshall rolled his eyes while Mary reached around to pinch her mother. “Really, Mom?”

Desperate to change the subject, Marshall asked again, “What do you guys want to do today? We could go to the park or maybe the zoo. Or we could go back to pool.”

“So that the other moms can ogle you again?” Mary asked. “Yeah, I don't think so. We could have a water balloon fight?”

“The last time you did that, Teagan got hit in the face,” Jinx countered. “There's a big sale at the outlet mall we could go to.” She grinned mischievously. “Or, I could just take the kids and let you two have some alone time.”

Mary banged her head off the table. “We could spend the day finding you a new place to live.”

Jinx took a slow sip. “I'll be more than happy to move out... as part of my wedding gift.”

“Jinx!” Marshall said, sharply, at the same time the Mary hissed, “Mom!”

“Can we watch movies?” Owen asked.

Mary frowned. “I guess... if that's what you really want to do.”

Grateful for the new topic, Marshall latched on. “What would you like to watch?”

“How about 'The Parent Trap'? Or 'All I Want for Christmas'?” Jinx suggested. 

“You do realize that those movies had exes getting back together, don't you?” Mary huffed.

Jinx growled. “Don't ruin my fun, Mary.”

Mary leaned down to Owen, moving his hair from his forehead. “What movie would you like to watch Owen”

“I dunno,” he replied. “I like it when we're all together on the couch.”

“I like that, too,” Mary whispered, hugging him to her. She locked eyes with Marshall over Owen's head.

Owen began to sob. “I don't wanna leave. I wanna stay here with you and Teagan and Norah and Jinx. I want you to be my mommy, too.”

His tears set off Norah's. “I don't want Owen to leave. I want Marshall to be my new daddy.”

“What?” Jinx screeched.

“Ssh,” Marshall soothed, pulling Norah onto his lap. He looked helplessly at Mary, but she was also at a loss.

Mary wiped Owen's tears away. “Hey, guys, no one's leaving today, okay? So, we should enjoy the time that we have together, don't you think? And worry about everything else later.”

Jinx grinned at both kids. “Plus, that gives you guys lots of time to convince Mommy and Marshall to get married.” She shrieked and ran out of the room when Mary tossed her pancakes at her. 

“I think we need to have another talk,” Marshall told Mary, who could only nod.


	19. A Proper Panic Set Aside

We are not getting married because the kids want us to,” Mary stated. She and Marshall had holed up on some lawn chairs in the corner of the yard while Jinx entertained the kids with the sprinkler. After breakfast, Owen decided that he wanted to play outside rather than watch movies.

“I wasn't going to suggest that,” Marshall chuckled.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Uh-huh. Just what is your suggestion then?”

Marshall fidgeted. “Now, I don't want you to panic.” That earned him a severe glare. “I was thinking that Owen and I could move out here. In our own place, of course.”

“Are you crazy? You can't just uproot your life and Owen's life to move out here!”

“I can and I will,” he replied, calmly. Marshall grabbed her arm to keep her from leaping out of her chair. “Outside of Delia, there's no one left for us in Albuquerque. I'm tired of the job; it brings me no joy. I have an old colleague that's been after me to transfer out to DC to be a trainer for years. It would leave me more time to spend with Owen.”

Mary shook her head. Her face was pale and she starting to sweat around her temples. “You have your house. You have your friends. Hell, your chief back there!”

Goosebumps broke her along her arm where Marshall stroked her skin. He was fascinated at the reaction that he was causing her. “And I'm telling you, being chief doesn't make me happy. The hours are long, but with paperwork, not helping people. I spend more time in administration meetings than I do with witnesses. Besides, I may not even be chief when I go back there. I was suspended, remember?”

“O-okay,” she stuttered. “So, you back to being a WitSec inspector. You can't tell me that you don't miss it.”

“Sometimes,” he admitted with a slight shrug. “There are days that I long for the excitement of chasing after my partner as she ran headfirst into a situation that was likely to get her killed, but she did it anyway because she knew I had her back.” Mary smiled at that. “But, overall, I like being home for dinner. I like tucking Owen in at night. I like using my weekends to cuddle on the couch with you and the kids. That's more important in my life right now than anything.”

Mary ran her hand through her hair with her free hand. Marshall took it as no small victory that she hadn't pulled her other arm from him. “What about the life you have back there?”

He snickered. “What life? I work and I have Owen. The only person I see when not at work, besides Owen's sitters and Owen, is Delia, and that's only because she took it upon herself to stop by once a week with dinner for us.”

“I don't,” she whispered, “want you to sacrifice anything else for me.”

“Oh, Mary.” Marshall picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “It's not a sacrifice. And if I didn't think this was the best move for Owen, I wouldn't do it. Look at him, Mary.” He nodded towards Owen, who was receiving a hug from Teagan. “He is so much happier in just a few weeks with you. You seem to understand him and he responds to you in a way that I've never seen him respond to anyone, including my brother and sister-in-law.”

Heat flushed Mary's cheek over the praise. “You know, the ink has even dried on your divorce. Are you-”

Marshall rolled his eyes. “Despite my little... slip-up, Abigail and I have been over for a long time. To be truthful, I don't know that at any point if you hadn't crooked your finger and beckoned for me that I would not have come running.”

“I'm not sure that I like having that kind of power over you,” she breathed out. A glint soon took over her eye. “I mean, I like that I can get you to do my bidding.” Her eyes drifted downward. “And I definitely like the power I have over you in the bedroom when you are so lost in lust that you can't speak.”

“Mary!” he growled. He shifted in his seat to relieve some of the pressure building in his groin. “Unless you want me to throw you over my shoulder in front of our kids and carry you off to your bedroom to demonstrate that power, I suggest that you change the subject.”

She barked out a laugh, declaring him no fun. Still, she granted his wish and changed the subject. “You know, you're pretty good for my kids, too. You are the first person that Teagan has opened up to at all besides Jinx and me. She usually runs crying in the opposite direction of anyone new.”

Marshall smiled. “Just like her mama.”

“I am, you know,” Mary said, settling into her chair, her gaze on the children as they frolicked in the water. “Officially, I mean. I adopted her around her first birthday. Jinx doesn't know. I hired a PI to track Brandi down and have her sign the papers. I just... I couldn't leave Teagan in limbo. But Mom was so convinced that Brandi's coming back at that point that I didn't have the heart to tell her. She since come to realize that Brandi isn't coming back for her daughter, but I don't know how to tell her the truth.”

“You know, you could just wait until I adopt her and then tell her that we both did it at the same time.” Marshall glanced over at Mary to see her with her mouth hanging wide opened. He was unable to hold in his laughter. “Sometime in the future.”

Mary tilted her head. “How far into the future?”

Marshall shot her a goofy grin. “My odds are one about ten months.”

“You think you're going to be able to get me over my commitment issues in ten months?

“Nah. I think you'll be over those in six. But we have to leave time for a wedding, honeymoon, and court petition.” He raised a single eyebrow waiting for her response.

After opening and closing her mouth a few times, Mary shrugged. She knew he was trying to knock her off-balance and refused to let him win. “I thought for sure that you'd be pushing for the day after the divorce papers came through, officially declaring you a divorcé. Pity, too, because I was inclined to say yes to that proposal.”

Marshall nearly through his hands up in frustration that she was able turn the tables on him. He paused, suddenly realizing one fact. “You're not saying no.”

“What?”

“You're not saying no. Sure, you put on a show about your 'commitment issues', but you're going to marry me.” He stood and pulled her from her chair, preventing any protest from falling from her lips. “You're going to marry me and you know it. And we, sweetheart, are going to have a wonderful life.”

Mary shook her head, rolling her eyes. “You can't know that.”

“The hell I can't!” Marshall gnarled. He cupped her cheek. “Baby, every day has been wonderful since you've entered my life.”

“I'm going to be sick,” she moaned, but her eyes betrayed her pleasure. “I hope you don't think that counted as a proposal, mister.”

Mirth danced all over Marshall's face as his hands slid around her back. “Most definitely not, my love. When I propose to you, it will be spectacular.”

Mary poked him in the chest. “Enough with the cutesy nicknames, bub.”

“So, you're okay with Owen and I moving out here? Into our own place?” he asked, seriously.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “It's going to be really hard for you to do that thing with your mouth across the country anyway.”


	20. Happily Ever After

One Year Later...

 

“Grandma!” Norah called out. “Owen hit me!”

“I did not!” Owen countered. “I pushed you!”

Rolling her eyes, Jinx put down her phone to deal with the two kids. “Why did you push Norah?”

Owen huffed. “Because she took Teagan's baby doll and wouldn't give it back.”

“Norah, is that true?” Jinx asked. Norah ducked her head and nodded. “Give it back to her and apologize.”

“Sorry, Teagan,” Norah mumbled.

Jinx turned to Owen. “And you know that you are not allowed to push. If Norah does something to Teagan, what are you supposed to do?”

Frowning, Owen replied, “Get a grown-up.”

“Exactly. Now, apologize to your sister.”

“Sorry, Norah,” Owen sighed.

Jinx bit her bottom lip to stop from smiling at his dramatics. “Now, go play. Your parents will be home soon.”

“Daddy!” Teagan shrieked, causing Jinx to jump. She tore off running towards the house and leapt into the waiting arms of her father.

“Hiya, Angel!” Marshall covered her in kisses while the other two kids ran to greet Mary. “Did you miss us?”

Teagan nodded, solemnly. “Uh-huh. Grandma doesn't read the books right. She doesn't do the voices.”

Marshall smiled. “I'm sure she did her best.” He chuckled when she shrugged. “Why don't you say hi to Mommy so that I can say hi to Norah and Owen?”

“Okay.” 

Marshall handed Teagan off to Mary and knelt to hug Norah and Owen. “Hey, you two! We missed you! How did you get along while we were gone?”

Jinx stepped forward when neither child would reply to his question. “They did fine. They even tagged teamed that little Baker kid down the street when he came around to tease Teagan.”

“Good job, guys!” Mary exclaimed, high-fiving them. She rolled her eyes when Marshall shot her a disappointed look. “Hey, you wanted them to be siblings.”

“While I'm very glad that you guys helped each other out to help Teagan out, I hope you did it in a fair way,” Marshall lectured. He stood. “And that's all I have to say about it.”

Mary slapped him on the back. “Well, there's a first!”

Jinx shook her head. “Oh, you two! No one would ever believe that you are newlyweds. How was the honeymoon?”

“Good,” Marshall replied with a quick glance to Mary. They had spent the week in a secluded spot in Puerto Rico. “It was nice to get away.”

“I bet!” Jinx exclaimed. “I'm still impressed that you were able to talk her into taking one.”

Norah pulled on Marshall's pant leg. “Daddy Marshall, did you bring us any presents?”

Mary looked between her daughter and her husband. They had decided on the plane not to give the kids their gifts until after dinner, but she could tell by the softening look in Marshall's eyes that the puppy dog look on Norah's face was giving him. He could never resist when she called him “Daddy Marshall” either, a fact that her brilliant daughter picked up on right away. “Hold strong, Marshall.”

“Did you bring us presents?” Owen asked. As much as he and Norah fought with each other, they were undeniably siblings and they were a force to be reckoned with when they teamed up. 

“Mare,” Marshall whined, sticking his bottom lip out.

She stared at him for a long while, unblinking, before throwing her hands up in the air. “Just remember this when we're getting calls from school about your little delinquents!”

Grinning, Marshall clapped his hands together. “Owen, go get the blue bag on the kitchen table.”

“So, tell me, Sweet Pea,” Jinx cooed to her daughter after the kids received their presents, “how was the honeymoon?”

“It was amazing!” Mary crowed in an uncharacteristic burst of giddiness. We spent half the time in the crystal clear water.”

Jinx waggled her eyebrows. “I hope the other half was spent in bed.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “The food was delicious, too.”

“Mary wasn't a fan of the chicken, though,” Marshall spoke up. He watched with no small amusement as the kids traded toys to see who got the best one. “None of it seemed to agree with her.”

“Hm.” With a glint in her eye, Jinx whispered so that only Mary could hear, “How were you with the coffee?”

Mary started. She glared at Jinx before the color drained from her face. “No. No, no. I am way too old for that.”

Jinx's laughter rang out across the yard, causing everyone to turn towards her. She waved them off. “Your great-aunt Adelaide had her last baby when she was fifty-one.”

“What are you talking about?” Marshall demanded, finally overhearing snippets of the conversation.

“Nothing,” Jinx sang, sauntering away. She disappeared into the house, still giggling.

Marshall wrapped his arms around Mary, laying his cheek on top of her head. They stood there, watching the kids, tangled up together. “So, what were you talking about with Jinx?”

Mary cringed. “It's been a really big year for us.”

“It has,” he agreed, allowing her to direct the conversation.

“Did you know that after you resigned, both Delia and Stan called me up and threatened to get me get out of the Marshall Service if I didn't marry you? As far as they were concerned, you had made all the sacrifices that you should to make this work between us,” she told him. He shook his head. “They told me that I needed to realize that, despite my best efforts, I did deserve you and to go off and make the happily ever after.”

Marshall held her tighter. “I'm glad you did, even if I did miscalculate the wedding by a few months.”

Mary's eyes sought Norah. “Yeah, well, your plans didn't exactly include Mark showing up and throwing Norah into chaos by promising to take her at Christmas and then disappearing again.”

“Or my parents threatening us with a custody suit over Owen,” Marshall added with a frown. He hadn't talked to either of his parents in nearly five months. They were not invited to the wedding and the move had caused a strain between Marshall's remaining brother and their parents when he sided with Marshall. Still, Marshall had hope that it wouldn't always be that way.

“But we came through it stronger,” Mary redirected, not wanting him to grow too morose over his parents. “The kids are happy and healthy. Owen can't wait to be adopted and Teagan has her daddy wrapped around her little finger.”

Marshall pursed his lips. “Do you think we should try again to have Mark sign the adoption papers for Norah?”

“No,” she replied, quietly. “No, if I know him, we'll have to wait until we have something he wants. So, we'll wait until his child support has built up and deal with him then.”

“I don't want her to feel left out,” he protested.

Mary lifted her head to kiss his chin. “I know. We just have to keep telling her how much we love her and how much you are her daddy.”

Marshall nodded, though her wasn't completely satisfied. But he knew he would feel that way until Norah was legally his. “I think Bill might propose to your mother soon.”

“Oh. Wow.” Mary let that sink in. “Why do you think that?”

“Because he was asking how I proposed to you.”

Mary laughed. “Did you tell him that it was in the middle of the night while we were trying to clean up the puke from three sick kids?”

He nudged her nose with his own. “I think I made up for it with the ring presentation.”

“Daddy Marshall?” Norah called out at the same time that Owen shouted, “Mommy?”

“Yes?” Mary and Marshall replied in unison.

Owen elbowed Norah to speak. “Do you have to teach the boneheads tomorrow?”

Marshall's jaw dropped. “Norah! Who taught you that word?”

“Mommy,” she replied, honestly.

“Mary!” 

She shrugged. “It's what they are.”

“I don't want you to repeat that word, Norah,” Marshall said, firmly. “And, no, neither your mom nor I have to work for the next few days.”

“Can we go to the pool tomorrow?” Owen pleaded.

Teagan perked up at Owen's question. She bustled over to her parents, hanging Marshall's leg. “Pool, please, Daddy?”

Marshall turned his face to Mary's. After a moment, he replied, “As long as you go to bed tonight on time, yes, we can go to the pool tomorrow. Just for a little while. Your mom and I just got back and we're pretty tired.”

“Speak for yourself, tiger,” Mary growled, pinching his butt.

“I ordered pizza,” Jinx announced, returning to the backyard, “but it needs to be picked up. You don't mind picking that up, do you, Mary? It's that little shop near the drugstore.”

Mary scowled. “Sure thing, Mom.”

Owen flung his arms around Mary's waist. “No, Mommy! You can't go! You just got back!”

“You can come with me, okay?” Mary offered, finally removing herself from Marshall to hug Owen.

“If Owen's going, then I'm going!” Norah proclaimed, hands on her hips.

Marshall picked Teagan up. “I guess that means you're going, too, huh?” Teagan nodded.

Mary turned to Jinx. “Since you're being just so helpful, Mom, why don't you put the kids in the car for us?”

“Anything for you, Sweet Pea,” Jinx giggled, taking Teagan from Marshall. She led the other two away.

“Okay, Mare, what is going on with your mother? She's acting weird even for her.” Marshall folded his arms, waiting for an answer.

Mary started towards the car. “Oh, you know, Jinx, she has some crazy idea in her head that she's going to force me to disprove.”

Tilting his head, Marshall tried to figure out what he was missing. “And what's her idea?”

“She seems to think that because I hated the chicken and haven't been able to stomach coffee and that my great-aunt Adelaide had kids into her fifties that I'm preg- What are you doing?” she shrieked when Marshall picked her up.

“We're going to go get that test right now and you are going to take it as soon as we get home,” he answered, his tone brokering no refusal. Marshall put her down at the passenger side door. He kissed her lips, softly. “I love you, Mary.”

Mary smiled as she stared into his eyes, seeing all of his love for her and their family there. It hugged her like a blanket, keeping her safe. “I love you, too. Forever.”

 

THE END

 

A/N2: And that's a wrap, kids! I'm not sure if I'll be back with another IPS fic simply because the further we've gotten away from the show, the harder it has been for me to get into these characters' heads, not that I was ever particularly successful at it. I still haven't forgiven the show for the ending and so I haven't been able to watch an episode since the finale. Of course, I can't really say that I'll never write another IPS story because you never know where the inspiration will strike. But if this is the end, I want to thank you for making me a part of this fandom. Thank you!


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